Demon and the Fox
by Darkloverkitsune
Summary: A promising encounter with a cute high school boy turns into a nightmare for party-lover Sasuke when he learns he's the son of the demon who killed that boy's parents. SasukeXNaruto story. Alternate universe.
1. Chapter 1

A promising encounter with a cute high school boy turns into a nightmare for party-lover Sasuke when he learns he's the son of the demon who killed that boy's parents.

_SasukeXNaruto story_

_- Alternate universe, out of character-ness_

_- Rated M for: dug use, partying, language_

Demon and the Fox

Chapter 1

"_There is no hell, and all the devils are here."_

The sky was black instead of blue. He saw monsters where normal people stood and walked in the street. Blood instead of skin. Fire instead of eyes. Black smoke in the wind. Carrying the scent of ashes.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke heard someone say from behind.

He blinked and turned around but there was no one there. People walked past him on the sidewalk. Cars drove by noisily. Sasuke looked up. The sky was back to normal. The nice dark blue shade of twilight.

This had been a rough week.

Sasuke had no idea what the visions meant. But he had a bad feeling. Anxiety eating away at him like a poison in his veins. And he always felt cold.

He got home to his apartment, hoping his roommate would distract him. His apartment was in Hell's Kitchen, New York. His roommate's name was Suigetsu.

Tonight Suigetsu wanted to watch the movie Wolf of Wall Street.

Once Sasuke had thrown his jacket, keys and wallet in his bedroom he went to sit on the living room couch with Suigetsu. They didn't own a TV. They just watched movies and series on Suigetsu's seventeen inches laptop. So Suigetsu brought said laptop closer on the coffee table, and then he grabbed the table's legs to slide it closer to the couch. The rattling sound made Sasuke wince, and he massaged his temples. His head hurt so much lately.

"How was work? You look tired." Suigetsu sat in the couch and paused the video right at the start. He lifted his feet and swung them up on the couch, the floor creaking underneath as he made himself comfortable.

"It was fine. And I'm fine."

"Right." Suigetsu arched an eyebrow. He wasn't really buying it, clearly. "Are you sure you don't want to get some sleep?"

"No. I mean yes." Sasuke settled back in the couch and grabbed a pillow, holding it against his chest. Suigetsu was still sending him doubtful glances. "I'm fine, I just want to watch the movie with you."

Magic words.

Suigetsu's eyes lit up and he nodded, reaching toward his keyboard to click something and start the video.

And Sasuke really tried to watch it. He tried really hard to keep his eyes open. Of course, Suigetsu watched religiously. He was all cozy, covered up with his silly purple leopard blanket. Suigetsu always watched movies as seriously as if he were a professional movie critique.

Sasuke had trouble keeping his eyes open because he hadn't slept in a while. Suigetsu was absolutely right, of course. He was incredibly tired, and worn out. He actually had two jobs. At his first job today he had almost forgotten to make a customer pay. At his second job he almost forgot to lock up behind him, which would've been really bad obviously. In the subway he struggled to keep his eyes open, too.

He just kept dreaming about really weird stuff. Actually, it was terrifying, so much that he was afraid of falling asleep again.

But it sounded so silly. Afraid of falling asleep. Frightened by some stupid nightmares. He wasn't a child. Well, to be fair, he wasn't exactly an adult yet, either. But standing at six feet tall, people were often mistaking him for one. He couldn't exactly start telling people that his dreams scared him.

So Sasuke had dark circles under his eyes and he looked like some sleep deprived idiot. Great.

And now, the worst thing was that he was starting to see freaky stuff even when he was awake. Black smoke, black clouds, people covered in blood.

Earlier, walking back home from the subway station, he had seen someone standing in a first floor window. It was just some building similar to where he lived with Suigetsu, just a few blocks away. Regular apartment building with boring brick walls and everything.

The person looking out the window had been burning. They were staring straight at Sasuke with freakishly blank eyes, with a sort of black smoky aura around them, and the smell of burnt flesh had filled his nostrils. But then he blinked, and the vision disappeared.

It was like something out of a horror movie—the good ones, that are actually scary. And he wanted to scream, but no sound came out. Like he was in a dream.

And sometimes there was a voice in his head. Dark and mischievous. Something like a whisper, but strong-willed at the same time. _"Will you take back what's yours?"_

What was that supposed to mean?

And the visions disappeared whenever he heard that voice.

Sasuke shivered, even in the warmth of the living room. Well, it wasn't exactly warm. They were keeping the heat pretty low to save money. But still. Suigetsu wasn't shivering. So it probably wasn't that cold. Yet Sasuke couldn't stop trembling.

Was he imagining things again, or was there a dark red stain on the opposite wall? The walls were a dull grayish white color. The paint was all cracked, but for some reason the landlord wouldn't allow them to paint over it. Sasuke had never seen that red stain before, though. It was right there, in between the desk with the turntable Suigetsu had bought but never used, and the shelves lined with a bunch of books Sasuke had already read and would probably never touch again.

He couldn't stop staring at that stain. It seemed to be moving. Wiggling like a worm.

The rest of the room disappeared for a moment. There was only red, as the stain seemed to get bigger, and bigger.

"Sasuke? Sasuke?" Suigetsu was poking him, bringing him back to reality.

Shit. How far in the movie were they? He looked at the laptop, seeing Leonardo Dicaprio's face getting frozen mid-monologue as Suigetsu paused the video. More than thirty minutes in. He looked up.

The stain was gone. His heartbeat slowed down. He hadn't realized it had gone up. The room seemed really silent, like there had been a buzzing in his ears before, and now it was gone.

"The pizza's here." Suigetsu had already brought the carton to the couch, and he was sitting next to Sasuke again. "I ordered pizza." As though it wasn't obvious already. "I didn't want to wake you, but I really think you should eat something. You look… pale. Like, more than usual, I mean."

"I wasn't sleeping." His voice sounded weak and groggy, even he could tell. He cleared his throat. "At least I don't think I was."

Suigetsu shrugged. "Yeah, you were. Well, in and out, I think. You don't like the movie?"

"That's not it." Sasuke imitated Suigetsu and grabbed a slice of pizza. But he realized he had no appetite. In fact, the smell of it made him feel a bit sick. Weird; he usually liked pizza. Who doesn't? "Looks like a pretty good movie."

"Do you want to start from the beginning again?" Suigetsu offered.

"No, I—I think I can catch up."

"Okay."

They started watching again. Well, Suigetsu did. He ate his pizza with appetite, too. Sasuke wished he could do the same. But he dropped his slice in the box. Watching the computer screen made him really sleepy. It wasn't the movie itself. It just strained his eyes. At some point the image became all blurry.

He shook his head clear, and glanced at Suigetsu instead. Suigetsu was the kind of guy that always got so absorbed in a movie that he wouldn't notice if the world was ending—let alone if someone stared at him.

Suigetsu's t-shirt was white with little black lightning bolts all over it. His pale hair was dyed silver. Around his wrist was a black rubber bracelet that said 'Friendship is magic' in colorful letters.

Sasuke was starting to hear that buzzing noise again. And dark spots filled his vision. Panic gripped at his heart like an ice cold fist. He wanted to get up from the couch—do something, anything—but he couldn't. It was like someone was pinning him there, someone stronger, a lot stronger.

Blood trickled down the walls all around the room. He knew it wasn't real, but his chest constricted in fear anyway. He tried to look to the side, but his head wouldn't move. He couldn't even twitch a muscle. Although, even without looking, he could tell Suigetsu wasn't there anymore. In fact, the room was empty and black. Only that red stain remained. But now it had spread to a vast circle, and it was shimmering. The world seemed to tilt upside down, and Sasuke's stomach did an unpleasant lurch as he fell face down, next to the red circle. He still couldn't move. And that red circle was getting wider. Soon it would touch him. It was blood. He knew it was blood. He could smell it. Could almost feel it. Metallic and thick.

From the corner of his eye he saw someone standing on the other side of the circle.

He was tall and wore all black, with a hood covering half his face. His waist was thin but his shoulders were squared so Sasuke assumed he was male. He brought his hands up to his hood like he wanted to take it off and reveal himself, but he seemed unsure. He wore fingerless gloves and black nail polish.

Sasuke remembered having a similar dream before. This wasn't the first time. By now, he knew they were just dreams. Yet he was still afraid, and it annoyed him more than anything.

He couldn't move, couldn't talk, couldn't wake up, no matter how much he wanted to. He had researched sleep paralysis a couple of days ago, and concluded that this was similar. But there was no treatment for that. It certainly wasn't supposed to happen so frequently.

The puddle of blood had never been so close to reaching Sasuke before. A few more inches and it would touch his hand, which lay right next to his face. The person on the other side stepped closer. He wore heavy black boots but they made no sound. There was only a suffocating silence. The smell of blood in the air. And the smell of ashes.

A voice in his head again.

_ "Your brother never used it. Will you?"_

That same fierce, blood curdling whisper. Sasuke felt the sudden urge to scream. But he couldn't. He couldn't. He looked at the other person. But he was gone. There was no one else.

And the blood reached him.

But then everything seemed to just… fade away.

There was only Suigetsu, grabbing his shoulder and shaking him awake.

"You're missing the movie," he whined.

"S-Sorry…" It was weird to see Suigetsu, to come back to reality. Everything was so normal. His purple blanket, the worn dark blue couch, the half-white, half-blue curtains. Suigetsu hadn't found two identical ones at the second-hand store, so he'd decided they would have bi-colored curtains in the living room.

They were ruffled softly by the wind right now. The nightmare was fading, but Sasuke was still feeling horribly cold and frightened. He shivered violently.

"I'll just close the window," said Suigetsu. He looked a little worried now. He was unfolding his legs, but Sasuke stopped him.

"No, don't, I'm fine."

"Oh, come on. I know you like the fresh air, but I won't let you freeze."

"I'm not freezing."

Suigetsu frowned, and poked his arm again. "Yeah, you are. Look, I'll just open the one in your bedroom instead."

"No… the plants don't like the cold air…"

"You and your stupid plants." Suigetsu rolled his eyes. Then sighed. "Why is it so cold anyway? It's supposed to be spring in like, what, a week? Global warming my ass."

"Yeah. Sorry about the movie. I'll watch it with you another time." He got up, and felt dizzy. But he tried to hide it and cleared his throat.

"I'll just take a shower."

"You should really go to sleep early tonight. None of that going out with your friends when you're working the next morning crap!" Suigetsu called, but Sasuke ignored him. Who was he, his mom?

Sleeping was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

Going out with his friends, on the other hand, sounded pretty great.

…

His favorite place to go out was just eight minutes walk away from his apartment. Sasuke loved this about the city; you could find a pretty decent bar or club pretty much anywhere.

He zipped up his jacket and shoved his hands in his pockets. It really was cold, the wind was harsh. As he looked up, he saw that it was a full moon tonight—or almost full, anyway. He couldn't see any stars, because of the city lights. But the moon shone brightly. He picked up the pace, walking down 9th Avenue. He walked as fast as he could, eyes looking straight ahead. He tried to convince himself that nothing weird would happen. And if he did see something odd, he would just ignore it. Easy.

But then Sasuke got the feeling that he was being followed. He couldn't really walk any faster without people giving him a weird look. This was ridiculous. There _were_ other people in the street. Maybe there was just someone walking behind him, matching his pace. He hated when that happened. But it wasn't the end of the world, was it?

He sort of looked behind his shoulder briefly, trying to be subtle about it, and pretending to be interested in the shops lining the street. There was no one there. His stupid brain imagining things again, surely.

When he crossed the street in between two cabs, he thought he saw an animal—a dog, or a really big cat—crossing the street right after him, and then hiding between two buildings. Weird. Well, if it was just a dog, then it wasn't a big deal. Maybe the dog liked his smell, or something. Maybe it reminded the dog of its previous owner, who was now dead, and the dog had been abandoned in the streets, and—

_ Stop thinking. _

He just kept walking, hands in his pockets, head held high, jaw set, showing anyone who was thinking of randomly bleeding and producing black shadows that he wouldn't care. Well, it worked, because no one did.

The bar was called _Laid-Back_. It was an open-minded place—in other words the clientele was mostly gay. The door was painted fire truck red, and it looked small and modest from the outside, but once you got inside it was actually pretty great. There were black painted stairs, and the second floor featured a long bar counter, some lounge areas and a large enough dance floor.

They had hired a new door guy, apparently. Damn it.

"ID."

Well of course he wanted to see Sasuke's ID. He might look older than his age, but he didn't look that old. And the truth was, he was only eighteen. And he had no fake ID. He just knew someone.

"Just a second," he said.

He called Orochimaru. He was a bartender here, and also a good friend of Sasuke's colleague. Sasuke had been to _Laid-Back_ a couple of times now. They were all friends by now. There shouldn't be a problem. He couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. He raked his fingers through his hair as he waited for Orochimaru to pick up the phone.

"Yeah Sasuke what's up?"

"The new guy won't let me in."

"Got it. Come through the back."

There. No problem. He felt the door guy's eyes on his back, but he ignored him. He walked around the building and shivered as the wind got particularly intense. The concrete was all cracked back there. One of his boots almost got stuck in a particularly large crack in the ground, and he stifled a curse. A worn down chain link fence ran around the small, mostly unused parking lot behind the building and the wind was making it rattle against the pavement. Sasuke spun on his heel as he thought he heard something moving, like the discreet sound of a dog paws… That stupid stalker dog again? But he didn't see anything.

Whatever. It didn't matter. He turned around again, and saw that Orochimaru was opening the back door for him. They always kept that one locked. Sasuke hurried inside, eager to get away from the cold. Orochimaru had dark hair, wore skin tight clothes with silver chains around his neck and shiny designer shoes.

"Two nights in a row, you're on fire this weekend!" Orochimaru smiled, and touched his shoulder briefly to greet him. Then he locked the door again.

Sasuke shrugged. "Yeah, well. Couldn't stay home, you know? It's… boring."

Well, that wasn't exactly true. It wasn't boring, just… the walls kept turning to blood. But he couldn't really tell him that.

Orochimaru guided him upstairs. They went through the 'employees only' section, passing a row of lockers.

"Is Yahiko coming tonight?" Orochimaru asked.

"Yeah, he texted me earlier. He got a new piercing this morning."

"Awesome. Where?"

"Nose."

"I thought he already had one there."

"Now he has two. Two small rings, on the same side. He can pull it off."

"He always does!" Orochimaru pushed a door open and they entered the club. They had to raise their voices to be heard over the music. "Did you do his piercing?" Orochimaru asked. Sasuke smiled.

"I did, actually. He said I did a good job, too."

"Awesome! It's cool that he's letting you learn. Can't have you answering the phone and cleaning the place forever."

Sasuke sat at the bar; a long, slick black bar counter, with bright red stools. The napkins were red, too. That was pretty much the theme of the place. Red and black velvet couches sat in the corners, with glossy black tables. The walls were brick imitation, in a dark, almost black color. The DJ played electronic music, which put Sasuke in a better mood right away, and the lights were flashing already; strobe lights and multicolored spotlights going all over the place. It wasn't that crowded yet.

"The usual?" Orochimaru asked.

"Yeah that would be great."

Orochimaru's cocktails were awesome. Sasuke's favorite was the passion fruit mojito, with extra rum of course. He really needed it right now.

He gave some cash to Orochimaru, and then he let him take care of some other customers. Sasuke spun on his bar stool and looked at the dance floor. Some people were dancing already. They were being shy about it, laughing with their friends. It was still early. They wouldn't be shy about it later. The guys would probably take off their shirts, too. Gay guys liked to do that. Not that anyone was complaining.

Sasuke let out a deep breath. He took off his jacket, and threw it across the counter. Jay nodded at him, grabbed it and put it safely behind the counter. Sasuke smiled and took a couple more sips of the delicious drink. It would be okay. He was safe here. Whatever was happening to him wouldn't follow him here. It couldn't. This place was full of people. And they were nice, open-minded people. He drank some more, and he relaxed some more. He would just have fun, like always. The music was so great, too. Entrancing, fast-paced, loud bass—the kind that makes your heart beat faster. It made him feel like dancing.

Later.

When Yahiko showed up, Sasuke ordered two more drinks; one for him, one for his colleague and friend. Yahiko always made a couple of heads turn. He had fire truck red dyed hair and of course loads of piercings and tattoos. He wore skinny jeans and a white tie, and nothing else. At twenty five, Yahiko already owned his own tattoo and piercing parlor. Sasuke had been working there for a year now, at first part-time, and now pretty much full time since he was done with school.

He had lied about his age at first, to get the job. But then when Yahiko found out, he was already attached to Sasuke, and he didn't mind. He didn't fire him. Eighteen was a little young to be a piercer, but why the hell not? He had the talent for it.

Yahiko always had so much energy.

"Let's go dancing!"

"There's barely anyone—"

"Doesn't matter! Come on! Orochimaru, you should come dancing with us."

"I'm working."

"Ask someone to replace you, or something."

"Just…" Orochimaru waved with a hand. "Take him to the dance floor, Sasuke. You guys enjoy your drinks, all right?"

"Come on." Sasuke took Yahiko's arm, feeling his micro dermal piercings, and led him to the back of the dance floor, right next to the DJ booth and one of the giant speakers. They had turned on the artificial fog, or whatever they called it.

"Shit, look at those lights. That's crazy." Yahiko took a sip of his drink, but excruciatingly slowly.

"What did you take?"

Yahiko gave a helpless shrug. "MDMA. Don't judge me."

"You know I don't judge. In fact," Sasuke took a deep breath, "can I have some?"

It wouldn't hurt to feel good, for once.

Yahiko tilted his head. "Have you ever had any?"

"Yeah last party. You don't remember?"

"Oh yeah. But you didn't like it."

"Of course I liked it. That was Konan." Their colleague. She was the tattoo artist. And she hadn't liked the MDMA because she had mixed up too much alcohol and other stuff with it. She hadn't been reasonable. Sasuke was definitely reasonable.

He took the pill Yahiko slipped him, and swallowed it with a sip of that mojito. Completely reasonable. Just one little pill, and two drinks.

"Oh, I remember that party now! You did like it! You made out with that really hot guy." Yahiko's eyes were huge, with his pupils dilated. "That was a good night."

Sasuke smiled as he remembered. "We didn't just make out."

"Nice!" Yahiko smiled back and started dancing.

Sasuke needed a little more time to get in the mood. But he did like the music, and the atmosphere. He was starting to forget about all the crazy stuff. He didn't even want to think about it anymore. He just wanted to have fun. To enjoy this moment.

He eventually finished his drink, saw that Yahiko had finished his too, and he went to put the empty glasses on one of those black tables. As he made his way back to where Yahiko was dancing, he spotted a pair of eyes looking at him across the dance floor. They were nice eyes too.

"Do you want some?"

Sasuke looked down, and saw that Yahiko had taken out a pack of gum. Sasuke nodded and took one.

He tried to find that guy in the crowd again. And he did. He wasn't hard to find, actually. He looked pretty good; tall and slim with tight clothes, handsome in a boyish way, dark blonde hair, tousled and wild as it almost fell on his shoulders, like a halo around his face. And he was making his way through the crowd, closer to Sasuke. He looked a bit shy, though, like he felt out of place.

Sasuke liked the guy's hair. In fact, he always told Yahiko he should wear his red hair just like that, instead of plastering it down with tons of styling products.

For now, Sasuke just exchanged knowing glances with the stranger as he danced next to Yahiko. He wasn't feeling his high just yet, but he already felt more confident—placebo effect, perhaps. Didn't matter. He wanted to dance with this guy. Maybe more than dance.

"I won't be far, okay?" he told Yahiko.

Yahiko smiled and nodded, making weird, sort of sensual movements with his arms as he danced. He was completely high right now. Sasuke shrugged and pushed his way through the crowd to get closer to the boy with the inquiring eyes. As he got closer he saw that they were a deep blue color. So if this guy had been staring at Sasuke, surely he wouldn't mind getting to know each other a bit?

"Are you having fun?" Sasuke asked him.

"It's my first time here," he replied. His voice was kind of raspy, like he'd been smoking or something. But that wasn't a bad thing.

"Really? Do you like it so far?"

"Yeah I think so."

"What's your name?"

"Naruto. What's yours?" There was something odd about his tone, something forced, or faked.

But he told himself he was just being paranoid.

"Sasuke. It's nice to meet you."

He took a moment just to admire him. He could tell Naruto was athletic, and he was almost as tall as Sasuke; something like 5'11. His ridiculously tight clothes looked like something his bartender friend Orochimaru would wear, actually. His t-shirt said _'I want to be tamed.'_

"I like your shirt."

Naruto looked a bit flustered at that. He looked away, pretending to pay attention to some of the other dancers.

"Um, yeah, thanks… I like what you're wearing, too," he eventually said.

"It's my gayest outfit," Sasuke replied. Well, it was true; shiny black skinny jeans with a thin—almost transparent—wide neck shirt. "I look silly and proud of it."

Well, at least this made Naruto laugh. He still seemed really shy and uncomfortable though. That was understandable, Sasuke supposed, if it was his first time here and if he had come alone.

"You want a drink?"

He had decided earlier to be reasonable, with the MDMA. But he couldn't let Naruto drink alone, could he? That wouldn't be very considerate.

Naruto was eyeing the bar counter warily, for some reason.

"I'll… okay, but I'll just wait here…"

"They don't bite, you know?"

Naruto just blinked.

"The bartenders," Sasuke said. "One of them's actually my friend. He won't card you if that's what you're worried about." Naruto did look underage. Not that Sasuke was judging.

Still no answer. Sasuke figured maybe this guy had no cash to buy drinks and was embarrassed about it.

So Sasuke pointed towards Yahiko.

"You can go with my friend if you want. The one with the red hair. I'll meet you there."

"Okay, cool."

Sasuke got another mojito, and he got a strawberry-coconut daiquiri for his new friend. It was another one of Orochimaru's specialties. It was much sweeter. He had a feeling Naruto would like it. He didn't really know why.

As he made his way back there, he let himself enjoy the music. It was so good, so intense… And damn, those multicolored flashing lights really _were_ amazing.

Crap. He was starting to feel his high. That was bad timing. Naruto would think he was some weirdo. Which he wasn't, of course. He was a completely normal person. At least he wanted to be one tonight. Good news was, at least he wasn't having any freaky visions. He felt strangely safe here. Best decision ever.

So he just needed to focus on acting normal. _Act normal. Act normal._

Naruto thanked him for the drink and tried it. And then his eyes brightened up a bit, which made Sasuke feel really, really happy—but that could be the drug, too.

"This is really good!"

"I'm so glad you like it."

Oh, God, the music was so great. Sasuke started moving, he couldn't help it. And he took a sip of his mojito. A very slow, careful sip. It tasted pretty good. He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying it. Then he opened them again, and realized Naruto was staring at him.

Right. He was probably acting weird. But this felt so great, like everything was in slow motion. There were so many people around, and they all looked great, and Sasuke suddenly felt the urge to go talk to every single one of them, and ask them if they were having fun.

"What's wrong with your eyes?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing." Sasuke cleared his throat, and looked away.

Sasuke went to dance closer to Yahiko. "How are you feeling?"

"So great, man. You?"

"I'm starting to feel it. Do I look normal?"

"Perfectly normal. Don't worry about it."

"Okay."

He nodded slowly, and saw that Naruto was staring at them. Oh well, whatever. Yahiko said he looked normal, so it was probably fine.

"You look really hot," he told Naruto before he could stop himself.

His face flushed a bit at that, and he just started drinking his cocktail really quickly. Sasuke smiled and moved a little closer.

"Come on, do you want to dance?"

He slowly curled his arm around Naruto's waist. And they started dancing, but Naruto was really tense. He looked away, and swallowed. Sasuke could see his Adam's apple moving. He wanted to kiss his neck. Naruto's skin was a nice pale gold shade.

"Um, Sasuke, I want to ask you something…" He sounded so nervous.

"Relax. What is it?"

"I, um… Wait, never mind." He took a couple more sips of his berry red drink. Some of it lingered on his lips before he licked them. God… Sasuke felt kind of horny.

He really wanted to kiss him.

But then he stopped. He stopped moving completely. Something was off. He suddenly… stopped feeling good. But… that wasn't right. This stupid drug was supposed to last three hours.

'_Drugs won't help you, stop trying to escape…'_

What was that? That voice in his head again. That dark whisper. No… not now. It was going so great. They were having so much fun.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Naruto hesitantly took his arm. His skin was warm. No, Sasuke realized, it was his own skin that was becoming cold. He always got cold when the visions happened.

When he breathed, it came out as white smoke. He started shivering really badly. This was ridiculous. It was really warm inside the club.

Several people on the dance floor had their faces covered in blood. It was trickling down their bodies. He _knew_ it wasn't real. He closed his eyes. But when he opened them, everyone was covered in blood. Even Naruto.

"Shit, I… I'm sorry. I have to go outside."

_Author's Note: Do you like it so far?_

_-Let me know what you think of the summary. I just changed it and would love feedback :-)_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"_There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it."_

But outside wasn't safe, either. Nowhere was safe. Everywhere he saw blood. And he saw people becoming deformed, their shapes elongating, surrounded by black shadows.

He fell on his knees, trembling. In front of him stood the man he had seen in his dreams—the one with the black hood covering his face. There was an added detail now: a sword, sheathed and attached to his back with a leather strap. Sasuke could see its black hilt. There was a tiny red snake curling around it.

"Why are you so afraid of me? I just want to help." He was speaking to Sasuke for the first time. His voice sounded young. And British. Huh. He revealed himself now, pulling back the hood. And Sasuke couldn't help but be shocked that he looked like a completely normal person. Pale skin, blue eyes, light blonde hair, somewhat delicate appearance for a guy; that black nail polish and eyeliner he wore weren't helping.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Deidara. I'm a reaper. And you don't need to introduce yourself, I already know who you are." His voice was rather low and smooth, clashing with his pretty, almost effeminate appearance. The British accent sounded exaggerated, and it made Sasuke want to laugh. Reaper? What was this guy talking about? "By the way," Deidara said, pointing a finger, "I wouldn't talk to me, if I were you. Not here. People are already staring enough as it is. They can't see me, or hear me. I'm only showing myself to you right now."

Shit. Sasuke looked around. The blood and deformities were gone. There was just a bunch of normal people in the street, in front of the bar, and most of them were staring indeed. One of them had taken out his phone. Sasuke hoped he wasn't calling the cops or anything.

He tried to get up, but his legs were trembling too much, and they wouldn't obey. He felt like he was frozen in a block of ice.

"Sasuke! There you are." Naruto had just pushed open the bar's red door. He wasn't wearing a coat either, but he didn't look cold. He grabbed Sasuke's arm and pulled him to his feet. Some people stopped staring now—now that there was a normal person involved. "Are you okay?" Naruto asked in a low voice. "You don't look okay." Even though he was clearly concerned, there was still this forced edge to his tone. This nervousness about him.

"Listen," Naruto said when Sasuke didn't answer, "do you want to come to my place tonight?"

"Really? After this," Sasuke looked to the side, where he could still see Deidara, "you still want to take me home?"

"Well, yeah. If you want to."

Sasuke thought of his own bedroom. He used to associate his bedroom with comforting thoughts—it was so clean, organized and nice. But lately he associated it with inevitable nightmares. And Deidara was still there. Surely he would follow him home, and haunt his nightmares some more.

To his horror, Deidara actually stepped closer. His pale blue eyes seemed to gleam under the streetlights.

"That's it, Sasuke. Go with the little fox." Again with that thick British accent, almost like he was from another era. "You need him right now."

"What?" he whispered, unable to stop himself. "What do you mean?"

Naruto didn't seem to hear any of this.

"Sasuke come on I'm getting us a cab." Naruto pulled him closer the way an adult would a disobeying child.

One cab seemed to come out of nowhere and stopped when Naruto hailed it. They sat in the back and Naruto leaned forward to speak to the driver.

"34th Street please, near 2nd Avenue."

The driver nodded and Naruto settled back in his seat. Sasuke shuddered when he saw—although he wasn't so shocked anymore—that Deidara was sitting in the passenger seat. He tried to ignore him. But his words still echoed in his head. _You need him right now._

"Why do you want to take me home?" he asked. He realized he had his hand on the door handle, like he was ready to jump out of the moving vehicle if Naruto gave a wrong answer. He must have looked like a crazy person. Which he was, really, considering he could see someone currently sitting in the passenger seat and no one else could.

"Because I… want to," Naruto said, but it sounded almost like a question. He didn't sound sincere at all.

"Prove it."

"What?" He shifted uneasily in his seat.

Sasuke shrugged. "Prove it. Prove you're into me. Kiss me or something." He couldn't believe he had just said that. So maybe the drug was still working after all.

"I can't." He glanced towards the driver.

And clearly the driver had been listening. "Oh, I don't mind," he said with a wave of his hand. "This is New York. You think I've never seen two dudes kissing?"

Naruto took a deep breath, and took Sasuke's hand, lacing their fingers. "It would be my first," he explained, before looking up with those blue eyes. They really were striking. There was a paler, almost turquoise circle around the pupils, and the rest of the irises tilted more toward cobalt. Sasuke had never seen someone with eyes like that before.

"That's sweet," Deidara said, smiling fondly. Of course, no one else heard him. Sasuke closed his eyes, hoping that when he opened them his unwanted imaginary friend would be gone. But he was still there. Still smiling.

"You're so cold," Naruto said softly.

It was true. Well, either that, or Naruto's hand was incredibly warm. Sasuke felt a little better, just at having Naruto touching him. It felt to him like Naruto's warmth was melting a bit of the ice that seemed to be settling inside his chest lately. He was just so tired of feeling weak and cold all the time, not to mention helpless and with no idea whatsoever what was going on.

He found himself thinking he wished he could trust Naruto, and feel safe with him. But he couldn't. Not really.

"How old are you?" Sasuke asked.

"Seventeen," he admitted. "You?"

Sasuke had been looking at the buildings lining the street without really seeing them. He turned to glance at Naruto.

"Eighteen. How did you get in the bar?"

"How did _you_ get in?"

"I know someone."

Naruto cleared his throat, and changed the subject. "Did you take drugs earlier?"

"Um… well…"

"Don't worry I'm not against it or anything. You just seemed really high at some point."

"Sorry about that…" He was still supposed to be high, actually. But he wasn't. Clearly there was something seriously wrong with his body. Now _he_ wanted to change the subject. But he couldn't find anything to say.

Naruto was still holding his hand. He looked nervously outside the window, like he couldn't wait to be home.

"You can drop us off here," Naruto said when they reached Lexington Avenue. Sasuke reflexively reached out for his wallet but Naruto stopped him. "It's okay, I got it. You paid for the drinks earlier." He took out a few bills and told the driver to keep the change.

They hit the sidewalk and turned right on Naruto's street. It was a nice area—nicer than where Sasuke lived, but then he supposed it wasn't difficult to do better than Hell's Kitchen—with clean looking buildings and fancy little coffee shops. A bus came to a stop, dropped off some people, and then drove along. Naruto was still holding his arm, urging him along.

Sasuke realized he was being really slow, which was probably why Naruto was doing this. His legs just… wouldn't listen.

"I'm sorry," he panted. His entire body hurt and he felt sick. He was very aware of his heartbeat. It was erratic and it frightened him, like his heart wanted to come out of his chest. He felt so cold that it almost burned. He just had to stop for a moment.

"We're almost there," Naruto said urgently.

"Listen to him, Sasuke," Deidara said in a singsong voice. "You're almost there. He'll make you all better. Right, Naruto?"

"Shut up, demon," Naruto hissed.

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. "You can see him?"

"I can now. But I could already feel his presence clinging to you before."

Deidara smiled, brushing some blonde hair from his forehead. "Oh? I made your supernatural senses tingle? I'm flattered. You can see me now only because I want you to. But I'm a reaper," he corrected. "I don't much like the term demon. Way too broad. I'm not some lower demon. Remember that." Swathed in black from his boots to his fingerless gloves, Deidara looked like some Batman cosplayer. Only the mask was missing.

Naruto's grip tightened on Sasuke's arm, so much that the pale skin was turning red. They must have looked like an odd pair. Someone passed them on the sidewalk, but they had their hood on, listening to their music. People didn't pay attention.

"All right. I don't have all freaking night," Naruto said. Suddenly he just grabbed Sasuke and hauled him over his shoulder, like some heavy package or something. He really felt sick, though.

"What are you doing? Shit. Stop."

But he was walking, holding Sasuke's legs against his chest with one arm. The pavement was crunching under his black converse shoes.

"As you can see," Deidara said near Naruto's ear, "Sasuke isn't in the best of shapes. He really needs your help."

"I'm the one that needs his help."

What the hell was going on? More importantly—

"I'm going to be sick," Sasuke said in a feeble voice.

"He really is," Deidara confirmed with a look at Sasuke's face.

With a sigh Naruto helped him down. Sasuke crawled to the side of a building, panting. He had never felt so terrible in his entire life. He really felt as though he was going to die. His heartbeat was fast, then slow, then fast again—that couldn't be good. He felt an unpleasant burning feeling in his chest, but everywhere else he felt freezing cold, and he was trembling.

Apparently Naruto—or whoever this guy really was—wasn't completely heartless because he lowered himself into a crouch next to him so he could tuck Sasuke's hair behind his ear and hold it there. His fingers touched Sasuke's piercings as he did so.

Sasuke was embarrassed, though. "Get away from me…"

"It's okay. Just get it out."

And he did. Those mojitos, which was nothing to be too alarmed about, but then… blood. A lot of blood. His body was racked with spasms and his lungs were on fire as he coughed some more of the thick red substance. He was terrified, but he couldn't stop. Naruto had a hand on his trembling back.

"So you too," he whispered.

"What?"

Naruto ignored him. As he finished coughing, Naruto pulled him up. But this time he slid his arms under him and scooped him up, pressing him against his chest and carrying him like this. It was embarrassing. How strong was this guy? But Sasuke, even though he was freaking out, couldn't help but notice things. Like, Naruto smelled nice. Fresh, and clean, and like… nature. Something exotic he couldn't quite describe—something that didn't belong to the city, but rather in the forests or in the mountains, along with the pure wind and clear stream water.

He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. His head rolled onto Naruto's shoulder, and he wasn't sure if he fell asleep or passed out, but no nightmares clouded his mind this time.

…

Unfortunately, this blissful rest didn't last very long.

When he woke up, Sasuke was on a double sized bed, in a dark room. There were lit scented candles on the desk, dresser and night table. The smell was pungent, and Sasuke almost felt sick again. The only thing he could tell from the person living in this room was that they liked reading; there were loads of books, magazines and even newspapers piled up all over the place. Wasn't that a bit dangerous, with all those candles?

He realized there was someone lying down next to him on the bed. He also realized their hands were tied together in the middle of the bed, with shoe laces or something. Sasuke turned his head to look at him properly; early twenties, short black hair, pale skin. They actually looked rather alike. It was a bit frightening.

_ Your brother never used it. Will you?_

That voice in his head had said something like that. Did he really have a brother? Was this him? In any case, he didn't look so good. He was clearly unconscious, and very pale. And his breathing was strained.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked weakly.

Naruto was looming over the bed now, looking determined and focused. His hands were glowing softly. There was a strange, soft wind blowing in the room, even though the window was shut tight. This wind didn't come from outside. It wasn't cold at all.

"Who is he?" Sasuke asked.

"Someone I need to save."

Naruto pressed his hands to both Sasuke's and the other guy's hands. Sasuke swallowed a lump of fear and tried to understand what was going on. But how could he, with so little explanation?

Dark shadows crept up from the other one's body, like they were slipping from his pores. Even if Sasuke didn't know what was going on, his body knew, apparently. Because he craved those shadows. This dark energy. He knew it was his, somehow.

It went through Naruto first. A shadow crossed his eyes, and there was a pained look on his face. His hand held Sasuke's so tightly that he thought the little bones in his fingers would break.

Suddenly the room was filled with blood. It was leaking from the ceiling and pouring all over. On the books, and down the sides of the furniture, and onto the floor. But Sasuke wasn't afraid of the blood, for once. He felt… relieved, somehow. Like he knew it would all be over soon.

_ 'No… it won't be over. It'll be the beginning.'_

Deidara was watching from the corner of the room, his arms crossed. He looked worried.

The dark energy was still going through Naruto, and there were beads of sweat trickling down the sides of his face. But now it was leaking from him, and into Sasuke's body. Finally.

His heart started beating inhumanly fast. And it hurt. It all came rushing through him. A powerful energy, something unstoppable, fierce and terribly frightening. But he needed it. He was dying without it. He knew this instinctively. Every fiber of his being ached for it. And it filled him now, like blood in his veins.

But there was too much of it. His body couldn't handle it. The black shadows made him suffocate. The blood overwhelmed him. It got in his eyes, and in his throat. He felt like he was drowning, and he panicked. He knew the blood wasn't real, but he panicked still.

And then he was somewhere else. The room was gone. Naruto was gone.

He was in a dark place with what looked like snow underfoot. Even though it was dark, he could still see menacing darting shapes in the night. They were threatening him, taunting him, mocking him. What were they? They were getting closer.

His head jerked to the side as he heard moans in the distance. Like someone being hurt, tortured. "Stop," they were begging, "stop…" He took a step toward that voice, but then a harsh, strong wind rose, preventing him from even moving. And that wind carried the smell of fire and ashes. And he felt terribly cold.

Those darting black shapes were still here. They were almost on him. He squeezed his eyes shut, and brought his arms up to shield his face.

Then he heard Deidara's voice, cutting through the thick darkness.

"Sasuke, come back, all right? It's not over for you yet. I'll explain everything later. But for now, come with me."

As he breathed in sharply and sat up on the bed he saw only Naruto, looking at him with tears in his eyes, panting.

"You're alive."

"Apparently."

…

"What the fuck is happening to me? What… What did you _do_? What was that all about? Who was that guy? Why were we tied up?"

Everything was kind of blurry now, but Sasuke still remembered everything that went down. And he wanted to understand. He was kind of upset; he had never felt so vulnerable before. And Naruto was still a stranger.

He stood now in front of him, on the other side of the kitchen island, drinking his coffee. Sasuke wasn't drinking his. He just clutched the mug between his hands tightly.

"What about those… those visions? Or nightmares, or hallucinations—whatever the hell they were. What was that about? Was any of it real? And if it wasn't, then… then I don't get it, because why would my brain decide to hallucinate about some… some… British… reaper?"

Naruto almost laughed, then seemed to think better of it. He cleared his throat. "No, he was definitely real. He's probably still around. Hiding himself. Waiting for me to do all the explaining." He sighed.

"Well you better start. I have to work in the morning."

"You probably shouldn't go to work. Not after all this."

"Why not?"

Naruto studied his face for a moment. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm… I'm okay."

"Really?" He sounded skeptical.

"Better than before," Sasuke said defensively.

It was true. The coldness that seemed to be engulfing him as surely as death would a terminally ill patient was slowly fading now. With every passing second he felt a bit stronger, like his body was finally recovering from something—he just didn't know from what.

"So what do you want to know?" asked Naruto. He drank his coffee like it was the only thing keeping him from collapsing and falling asleep this instant. Maybe it was.

Sasuke shifted uneasily in his stool chair—it wasn't that comfortable, really.

"Who's that other guy?"

"Itachi's my brother. Adopted," he quickly added. "And he's your biological brother."

"Well… why didn't we grow up together then? What happened to… to our biological parents?"

"They're dead," Naruto said. He turned to the coffee machine and made himself another cup.

"Well don't sugarcoat it."

Naruto looked at him, spoon in his hand. "What? I always put a lot of sugar in my coffee."

"No I meant… Anyway, never mind. Can we please go back to the part where you explain what the hell is going on?"

"I saved you," he said. "Remember that."

"So what, I'm supposed to be grateful? You didn't even know I'd make it out alive." If he understood correctly… Apparently he did. Naruto's expression changed.

"Well I had to save my brother," he replied.

"How's he doing?" Sasuke's voice was softer.

"Sleeping. He should be okay. Anyway, look. Here's what we'll do." Naruto quickly went to another room, and Sasuke heard some rummaging around. Then he came back with a heavy looking book. Well it was more like a journal really. As he put it down in front of Sasuke, he saw that it was all handwritten, with papers and photos sticking out at intervals. He looked up.

"This was my mother's journal. I read all of it," Naruto explained, "and so should you. It explains everything."

Naruto had to be joking. This thing was massive. Sasuke opened it up, and started reading the first entry.

_'July 1__st__, 1985. Name: Kushina Uzumaki. I start this journal now, because I think it is important to chronicle my family life, love life—all of the happy days, but also all the challenges I'll need to overcome…'_

Was Naruto insane? He wasn't going to read about his mother's love life.

He shut down the journal so suddenly that Naruto jumped and spilled some of his coffee.

"What are you doing?"

"Naruto… I haven't got fifty freaking hours of free time to sit through this pile of crap."

"Hey," he said angrily, pointing a finger, "don't insult my mom."

"Well I haven't got one, so I can insult other people's mothers if I want to."

"You're being immature."

"And you're giving yourself excuses. You're going to sit the fuck down and give me a nice little summary of whatever's relevant in this huge—in this journal."

Naruto slid the other chair to the other side of the island quietly, and sat down as he was asked. He sighed dramatically, raking his fingers through his dark blonde locks lazily.

"My mom, and your mom… they were kind of like… witches. It was nothing crazy. They mostly did healing stuff. And minor little spells. Making flowers bloom before their time. Cute spells. They never used any supernatural powers for… for evil or anything like that. So basically, my parents had always been good friends with your parents. Your parents already had a kid. Itachi." He looked toward the bedroom where Itachi was still sleeping. Sasuke just waited. "Itachi was five years old when it happened. I wasn't even born yet. They just explained everything to me later." He looked at the journal.

"When what happened?"

"Your father was possessed by a demon, and—"

"No."

"What?"

"No… please, don't… Fuck." Sasuke pushed away his cup of coffee and folded his arms on the cool granite counter top, before pressing his face in his arms. He just couldn't look at Naruto right now. "Please don't say what I think you're going to say."

"What do you think I'm going to say?"

"That I'm half-demon, or something? Because it sounds like the plot to some crappy anime series."

Naruto didn't deny it. "My parents had some… abilities. They managed to banish the demon from your father's body. Like an exorcism. But he didn't survive it. It was hard on your mom, as I can imagine and I'm sure you can, but she was a strong woman, because she believed that she would be okay, and that you would be okay, too. She had faith that you would be just a normal kid. And you were… a normal kid. But…"

Sasuke looked up. Naruto's voice was soothing, somehow. It was raspy and sounded tired but it was soft, too. And quiet. Maybe he didn't want to wake Itachi.

"But what?"

"There was this dark sort of… aura. Energy. Whatever you want to call it. And it was going to kill you. As a little child, your body just couldn't… Well," Naruto waved a hand towards him, "clearly your body can handle it now, even though at first you… well, I think you died for a moment, and then came back—"

"Can we please not reminisce on that part anymore?"

"Itachi wanted to help," Naruto said, crossing his arms. "He was really mature for his age. He understood everything, even though no one told him, to spare him. But he understood anyway. And he wanted to save you. He wanted you to be able to grow up and have a normal life."

"I wouldn't call foster care a normal life, but…"

"Well at least you had one," Naruto countered.

Sasuke arched an eyebrow, but he said nothing. He just looked away.

"Itachi asked my parents to transfer the dark energy to him. He told them he could contain it in order to save you. Somehow he knew he could. Of course, my parents said no. No matter how grown up he sounded, he was still just a little kid. They tried everything they could. They tried to banish it like they did your demon father. Nothing worked."

"What about my mother? What did she want to do?"

"She, um…" Naruto scratched his hair. "She didn't survive childbirth, so… My parents had to take all the decisions."

Well no wonder no one had wanted him around, Sasuke thought. As a new born child he had already been messing everybody's life.

"They decided to do it," Naruto continued. "To transfer it to Itachi—at least part of it. At first they didn't want to give him everything. Just, like, half of it or something. And they hoped that would be enough to save your life."

"Couldn't I survive on my own?"

"No," Naruto said flatly, "you were constantly crying, and you wouldn't eat anything, and you couldn't sleep, so you were almost dead."

Sasuke frowned. "That doesn't make any sense. Recently I've been… having those same problems—except for the crying part—and that was because I _didn't_ have that dark… whatever. That you clearly just gave back to me. I mean, I'm starting to understand, even though it's crazy, but—"

"Well clearly your body doesn't know what the hell it wants." Naruto stared.

"Right." Sasuke cleared his throat and settled back in his chair. Stupid uncomfortable chair. "So that's what happened then? They transferred it to Itachi to save me?"

"Yeah. He ended up taking all of it. Clearly he has some supernatural skill of his own, or just some high tolerance to those kinds of powers. He lived a normal life until recently. He started feeling really sick—it was like his body was finally rejecting it, after all those years."

"I started feeling sick recently, too."

"I thought that was just the drugs and alcohol."

"You're kind of a jerk, you know that?"

"Only to people I don't like."

Sasuke stared. "So is that why your parents adopted Itachi but gave me up to some orphanage with no explanation whatsoever, then? Because they didn't like me?"

"Jee, how insecure are you?"

"Can you blame me?"

Naruto scratched his hair again. Its blonde shade looked paler in the kitchen's whitish, artificial light. Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment. They burned—lack of sleep, he supposed.

"They couldn't keep you around. I'm just quoting what I read in the journal that you're too busy to read. I wasn't even born, remember? So don't blame me, either. This dark aura that had been so carefully confined within Itachi… They didn't want to risk it coming out and clinging back to you. It could've happened. Your body could've started craving it a lot sooner. And it would've either killed you, or made you really evil, or something. Itachi had it so well contained, by some miracle. And it was his wish that you would be allowed a normal childhood, away from all that stuff. So they thought it was for the best. You can't blame any of us. I grew up loving Itachi as my own brother. I knew he was adopted, but I didn't care. I didn't even want to know the details. I just loved him. And eventually they told me everything, because Itachi started to get sicker and sicker, and they couldn't hide it anymore."

Sasuke almost didn't want to ask. "Where are your parents now?"

Naruto didn't look at him. "They tried one final time to banish the dark energy contained in Itachi. My parents always kept track of where you were, just in case. But Itachi didn't want them to seek you. He wanted them to leave you out of this. So they respected his wish, and instead they tried something really dangerous. It worked when your father was possessed, because the demon was something that didn't belong here. But it didn't work the second time. They were too careful… They were afraid to hurt Itachi so their spell was a lot milder. It backfired. Instead of coming out the demon was able to possess Itachi for a brief moment and… My parents didn't make it." He said that really quickly, and then cleared his throat. Sasuke could tell he was leaving stuff out. "That thing that's in you now. It belongs to you. And you belong here. So unfortunately we're stuck with it."

_And it killed my parents._ It was written all over his eyes. That was what Naruto wanted to say. But he didn't say it.

This wasn't fair. None of this was Sasuke's fault. Not really. He didn't even know about any of it.

"You could've told me," said Sasuke.

"What?"

"You could've just told me! You knew where I lived, right? You said your parents kept track. You could've just… showed up and explained everything properly, and—"

"You wouldn't have believed me."

Now Sasuke was getting angry. There was a lump in his throat for some reason. "Of course I would've believed you! I was seeing blood everywhere and black shadows and that reaper guy and there was a voice in my head… I thought I was going insane! What choice would I have but to believe you? I believe you now, don't I? You should have told me sooner. Spared Itachi some pain."

_Spared your parents._

Naruto made to wipe the corner of his eye, then raked his fingers through his tousled hair instead, before resting his hand at the back of his neck. He swallowed. "Well. It's too late now."

"Instead you followed me." Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You followed me to that club. And you pretended to be into me? So I would follow you here? That is _sick_."

"You're the one who's sick. You were all over me."

Sasuke got up. He wouldn't hear any more of this. "You homophobic asshole."

"I'm not homophobic," Naruto said defensively. "I'm just straight, that's all."

Sasuke headed toward the door. "Well you should have just told me you needed my help. I would've come with you. Would've saved us both the embarrassment."

"You're the only one embarrassed!"

"Well you should be way more embarrassed than I am! The way you acted, it just isn't right."

He was almost out of that stupid apartment, when Naruto caught up to him and stopped him.

"Wait," he said, holding his phone. "I need your number. For Itachi," he said quickly, "he'll want to contact you when he feels better."

"He sounds nice," Sasuke said. _Unlike you._

He gave him the number. He saw what Naruto had written instead of his name in his contacts list.

"Gay Jerkbag. Nice. I like it," he said with a serious face, and their eyes met.

"It suits you," Naruto replied evenly.

"Uh-huh."

All in one movement, Sasuke leaned closer, placed a hand behind Naruto's neck, and kissed him. It wasn't just a little kiss, either. It was deep and hard but soft all at once, and it was over too quickly, leaving one wanting for more—if they did want it, of course—the way a first kiss should be.

Naruto was too shocked to say anything. His blue eyes were ridiculously wide, and he couldn't stop staring at Sasuke, like he really wanted to either hit him or say something, anything—probably something mean, too—but he couldn't. Sasuke smiled and tapped his cheek, before walking away.

"The homophobic ones are usually just a little too deep in the closet, you know." And with that said he shut the door in Naruto's face and went to rush down the five flights of stairs so he could leave the building and hopefully never come back.

Oh, that explanation wasn't anywhere near good enough. But he didn't want to stick around and chat with Naruto, for obvious reasons. He would wait and speak with Itachi instead, and try to figure out if all of this was really true.

...

_Author's Note: Yay, I got some reviews, I'm so happy! So I decided to update extra fast because it's the beginning of the story and I don't want to leave you hanging too long^^_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

'_We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.'_

Sasuke wondered how he managed to go back to his normal life after all that craziness. But he did. And it was easier than he thought.

For one, he felt better. He had more energy. He was eating again, and sleeping again. His roommate had noticed, too.

"You look… different," Suigetsu had said, studying him. "Better. Less tired, I guess. I'm glad." And he had gone back to playing Diablo 3 on his laptop.

The tattoo and piercing shop was a small place in between two bigger buildings, just a block away from Sasuke's place in Hell's Kitchen. Yahiko had named his establishment Love Needles. Apparently he thought that was a good name. He hadn't asked Sasuke for his opinion.

Today Yahiko kept his sunglasses inside, and he lay down on the couch in the back of the shop, which was usually the waiting area for customers. Well, they had no customers right now.

"Why do we even bother opening on Sunday?" Sasuke asked. "Especially on St-Patrick's…"

He leafed through the appointment book at the cash counter. Konan had two people that afternoon. That wasn't much. She was usually busier than that.

"There's usually some people anyway. If we're lucky we'll get some drunk ones—that's always funny. Hey, if someone comes in for a piercing, you do it," Yahiko said tiredly.

"You won't even supervise?"

"Nah, I trust you."

Sasuke smiled, looking up from the book. "Do you really? Or are you just too hungover to care?"

"Um, both? Where's Konan?" Yahiko pressed a hand to his bright red hair.

"She went to get coffee, remember?"

"Yeah well it's taking forever."

Sasuke looked at the front door, but still no Konan. He had already watered the plants that decorated the windowsill and some corners of the room, and swept the floor, and now he had nothing to do. He looked around, checking to make sure the pictures of tattoo designs that littered the walls weren't peeling off—they just used regular tape, which wasn't always the most reliable way of decorating.

"So did you get laid last night?" Yahiko asked.

_ Not exactly. I almost died, actually._

"No… You?"

"Yeah." He propped up his feet onto the couch. When Sasuke put on some music—one of his favorite trance songs from Yahiko's selection—Yahiko tapped his boots against the worn brown leather of the couch.

"Good one," he said. "You should be DJ at Laid-Back."

"I already have two jobs. I'm not getting a third one. So who did you sleep with?"

"Just… some guy. It was awkward, anyway. He was like, anti-drugs, and stuff. So he decides he doesn't mind I'm high. But then after… you know. He still gives me a condescending speech."

Sasuke shook his head in disbelief. "Some people have no decency."

"I swear, man. What about the guy with the blonde hair? Thought you guys left together."

"We did leave together, but, um, yeah it turns out he's not into me at all. But I still kissed him." Sasuke shrugged modestly.

"How was it?"

"I could feel the homophobia. So pretty great. All that pent up frustration, you know."

"Not really, but if you're into that."

"Sarcasm, Yahiko. But I wouldn't say it was completely bad. He didn't really kiss back, though, so I can't really say…"

_Also I learned my father was a demon on the same night, so that might have tempered the mood. But you know. No big deal._

Konan came back with coffee—and green tea for Sasuke. Very sweet of her. Yahiko always forgot he preferred tea, but Konan always remembered.

"Thank you," Sasuke said to her, and she blew him a kiss before disappearing in her tattoo stall to work on a drawing.

They had a quiet day, with just Konan's two appointments, and a couple of people that hopped in for piercings. And one that wanted a piercing removed because he didn't like it and it had gotten all infected, and… well.

That was part of the job, too.

Just before Sasuke left for his second job, Yahiko asked him something weird. He came to lean his tattooed arms on the desk.

"Hey, Orochimaru got some of his stuff stolen last night. Just some outfit he left in his locker. But he said they were really expensive clothes. Do you know anything about that?"

"No, why would I?" Sure, he knew where Orochimaru's locker was, but he would never steal his stuff, surely Orochimaru didn't suspect him…

Yahiko replaced his sunglasses on top of his head. "No, it's just… I remembered… that guy who was with you. He had the same t-shirt. The one that says 'I want to be tamed' or something. Orochimaru had that custom made, so it can't be a coincidence."

"I guess…"

Why would Naruto steal the bartender's clothes?

"Man," Sasuke said, "that guy really is a jerk. I hope he returns the clothes, anyway…"

"Aren't you going to see him again?"

"No."

"Not even just to get the clothes back? Orochimaru would really appreciate it. There's no need to call the cops or anything, I'm sure there's an explanation…"

"Look, Yahiko, I'm sorry, but he's a jerk, and I never want to see him again. I don't even have his phone number."

Yahiko seemed to understand. He nodded, and he let it go, for now.

Sasuke wasn't even lying. He never did want to see Naruto again. He just wanted to properly meet Itachi.

So he was just waiting for Itachi's phone call. A bit anxiously, perhaps. He hadn't called yet; Sasuke had checked his phone about a hundred times, so he'd know.

What if Itachi had gotten worst? Or what if he had gotten better, but wanted nothing to do with Sasuke?

Anyway.

His second job was at an indoor rock climbing gym in Brooklyn. The gym was called Heights—another creative name—and co-owned by Suigetsu's father. Hence how Sasuke got the job there.

Suigetsu's father didn't work on weekends.

In fact, Sasuke was the only one working tonight. Some rich teenage girl from one of his classes had requested private lessons. Some sixteen year old girl named Ino. Her parents had called to discuss it and everything. Sasuke wasn't complaining. This was good, easy money.

She came in wearing high heel boots, a skirt and a tiny jacket, her shiny blonde hair in a high ponytail that bounced as she walked. Her gym clothes were in a huge glossy designer bag.

"Hey," she said, looking all excited.

This was weird. Usually, kids—or teens—didn't like him. They thought he was too strict. Sometimes they even requested another instructor. This girl seemed to like him, though. Go figure.

After she had changed, they set up their equipment at the easiest beginners wall.

First he was teaching her how to belay. It took forever just for her to learn how to do a figure eight knot. Ugh. Maybe _easy_ money wasn't the best word. This was using up all his patience.

But he managed. This was work.

Her dad came to pick her up after the lesson. But she lingered in the lobby, pretending to have trouble zipping up her boot.

"So, I was wondering if, um, well… Do you, um… I mean… um…" She played with her hair, blushed, and laughed nervously. "Um… so, do you want to—?"

His phone buzzed in his pocket and his fingers instinctively reached for it. Unknown number. "Sorry," he said, "I have to take this."

"Oh…" She looked really disappointed. "Well, bye, then…"

She left to meet up with her dad, but Sasuke wasn't paying attention anymore.

"Yeah, hi," he said in the phone, "sorry about that. I was, um, I'm at work, but I'm done now."

Then he felt silly. What if it wasn't Itachi? He was clutching the phone so tightly, and getting his hopes up…

"Sasuke?"

"Yeah, sorry. This is he." Sasuke closed his eyes, feeling silly again. _Who says that?_

"Just making sure. I'm Itachi."

"Right." He cleared his throat. "I mean, I thought you might call. You know. How are you? I mean… Are you okay, now?"

He stalked across the lobby to the reception desk—a massive slab of mahogany wood, littered with random papers, brochures, and business cards. He sat on it because he wasn't sure he could stand. His legs felt all weird.

_His brother. _He was talking to his brother right now.

"I'm… better. You?"

His voice sounded so calm and composed. And nice. And brotherly.

Okay, that last one was probably just his imagination.

"Uh, yeah, me too."

"You're really okay? That's such a relief. Listen, I'd really like to see you in person. Over the phone, it's a little…"

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed, "I'd like that, too."

Maybe they could go to a coffee shop, and have endless conversations like those people do in coffee shops; those who seem like they have a lifetime of stuff to tell each other. That would be nice. Just the two of them. And Sasuke would tell him that he forgave him for never contacting him before—even though he had felt really lonely as a child—because he understood his reasons, and that he was now ready for a fresh start. Maybe after some explaining, of course. Surely Itachi would be much better at explaining everything than Naruto had been.

Yeah, and then—

"How about dinner at my place, on Saturday?"

Oh, well, that worked too, even though Sasuke didn't really want to go back to that apartment so soon. But if Naruto wasn't there, then it would be okay. Maybe Naruto worked that night, or had other plans, like going out and stealing some bartender's clothes…

"Naruto doesn't work that night, so," Itachi added.

Huh.

"I was kind of hoping, that…" Sasuke looked up, staring at the ceiling fan.

"What?"

"Maybe, um… It would be better if…"

"Naruto really wants to see you again."

Sasuke nearly fell off the desk.

"Are you _sure_?"

"Yeah, of course. He said you two really hit it off. Sure, he mentioned how it was a bit weird when he knocked at your door and said he needed to speak with you, out of the blue, like that… But he said you were very understanding, and you listened to the whole story, and you were really moved by it and wanted to help… When he told me that… You know, it means a lot to me. Well, at first I was angry that he went to you for help, because I never wanted you to be mixed up in all this mess. But then I realized you have a right to know, and you're old enough to make your own decisions."

_ Knocked at my door and said he needed to speak with me?_

Oh, this was rich.

Fucking Naruto. That liar. That little—

"So… what do you think? Saturday?"

He swallowed. "Yeah. Saturday's perfect."

"Great. I can't wait." He sounded so nice and sincere. Sasuke couldn't tell him that his adoptive brother was a big fat liar.

"Yeah, it'll be great."

He started to despair, though. Now Itachi thought Sasuke had already gotten the whole story. But that couldn't be it. Witch mothers, demon possessed father, exorcism, so many deaths… What of this supposedly demonic energy inside him? Was it okay to just ignore it and move on? He felt fine now, but what about in the long run? In any case, Sasuke wanted—no, needed—to hear Itachi's version. Now he felt like he'd never get the explanations he deserved. Not with Naruto's lies getting in the way.

Sasuke breathed out as he shoved his cell back in his pocket. He decided he hated Naruto.

…

Suigetsu poked his head in Sasuke's bedroom, which was usually so tidy, but now there were clothes everywhere.

"What are you taking two hours choosing your clothes for, princess?"

"Nothing."

Suigetsu narrowed his eyes.

"It's not nothing, you're lying."

"You should become a detective."

Suigetsu was right, though. So many clothes. Sasuke could barely see the bed covers underneath.

"Maybe I will. I hate physics."

"Why study it, then?"

"Cause I _thought_ I liked it. But now they expect us to do all this work… Who has time for that?"

Sasuke wasn't making much progress with his decision. He just wore his boxers now. Suigetsu didn't mind; he was no better. Sometimes Suigetsu walked around the apartment naked, and Sasuke had to throw a pillow at him and tell him to put some clothes on. Once, he had joked that Suigetsu should be careful; Sasuke was a dangerous homosexual pervert after all and he might randomly attack him. To which Suigetsu replied that if he did, then he could cross 'sleeping with a guy' off his list of things-to-do-before-thirty.

"You should wear this." Suigetsu had gone to his bedroom to fetch an item, and now Sasuke was presented with a black and electric blue zebra print shirt.

"I'm not going to a club, Suigetsu, and even if I was—"

"Then where are you going?"

"I've been meaning to tell you." Sasuke picked up a pair of black skinny jeans that were seemingly identical to several other pairs—why did he have so many black jeans?

Suigetsu scratched his neck. "Tell me what?"

"But you were always so busy playing Diablo, or watching that kids show, or whatever it is you do lately." Sasuke was just stalling for time. He put on the stupid jeans, and then looked at his belts.

"Pretty much those things," Suigetsu said. "And MLP isn't just a kids show."

"Just because you call it MLP instead of My Little Pony doesn't make it any less of a kid's show."

"Maybe, but—"

"Spare me the brony speech." Stalling for time wasn't worth _that_.

"So where are you going? Can I come? I'm really bored." He leaned against the doorframe.

"Is the internet down or something?"

"Yeah, I have to call the stupid tech support again, ugh…" He sighed dramatically. Then tilted his head as he read some of the handwritten quotes plastered all over Sasuke's bedroom walls.

They weren't allowed to paint, so he had to decorate somehow. Kind of like what Julian had done at _Love Needles_. Except Julian _could_ have painted.

_"To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance,"_ Suigetsu read. "Is that Shakespeare?"

"No."

"You should wear the white one." Suigetsu pointed at his belts.

Sasuke picked up the black one.

"I'm meeting my biological brother tonight."

"You're kidding me," Suigetsu said immediately.

Sasuke didn't look at him. He just shook his head. He felt too warm suddenly, so he stalked across the small room to the window, only to realize it was already open. He felt nervous. He dropped his hand, letting his fingers trace the yellow edged leaves of the snake plant that sat on the windowsill.

"How did you find him? We tried so many times… The orphanage almost got a restraining order against us, so how did you—?"

"He reached out to me, actually," Sasuke improvised. He couldn't tell him the truth. Demonic energy? Come on. Even to him it sounded crazy now. Like he had just imagined the whole thing. "You know, his adoptive brother will be there tonight, so if you want to come, too…"

"I'd love to!" Suigetsu brought his hands together against his chest. "I'm kind of like _your_ adoptive brother, right? Oh, Sasuke, this is so great! I'll wear a suit."

"You don't have to wear a suit."

"I want to!"

And he ran to his bedroom.

"Don't wear a suit, Suigetsu."

He got no answer.

This was for the best, Sasuke thought.

It would be easier with Suigetsu there. Some pressure was lifted off his shoulders. They wouldn't talk about all that… stuff. And it was better this way, really. Sasuke didn't want to ask his questions with Naruto there, anyway.

At this point, he didn't care what lies Naruto had told Itachi.

What Naruto had said kept replaying in his head, and in his nightmares. _'My parents are dead because of you. Because of what's inside you now.' _Whatever _that_ was.

Okay, Naruto hadn't used those exact words, but it had been all over his face. Written in those sorrowful, big blue eyes that stared at Sasuke, making him feel guilty for something that wasn't even his fault.

He really didn't want to see Naruto again… But whatever.

It was worth it, to see Itachi.

The truth was, Sasuke had thought about it this week—thought about it too much—and now he wasn't sure he wanted more explanations about his past.

Or maybe he was just trying to escape his problems again.

_ Too afraid of hearing Itachi's version… What if he blames me and hates me even more than Naruto does? _

Sasuke ignored that little voice in his head. It wasn't a demonic voice or anything. It was his own. But that wasn't much better; apparently he was perfectly capable of freaking out all by himself.

After putting on a black button down shirt, Sasuke sighed as he looked at his reflection in the tall mirror behind his door. Great. He looked like he was going to a funeral.

Maybe the white belt was better after all.

Sasuke found himself thinking that perhaps they should just never bring it up again. All that demon stuff. Maybe they should just all forget about it. After all, this week had been perfectly normal. No hallucinations. No visions. No British reaper.

Good week, all in all. Considering.

…

They took a cab to get there since it was raining pretty hard outside. Suigetsu really was wearing a suit after all. There had been no talking him out of it. At least Sasuke had convinced him to lose the bow tie.

It was just a ten minutes drive from their apartment to Itachi's. They paid and rushed to the apartment building. Sasuke had already texted Itachi to let him know that Suigetsu was coming. They pressed on the three digits and waited awkwardly. But nothing happened. Then some other people came in and entered in a different number, and the door was unlocked with that loud, unpleasant buzzing noise. Sasuke exchanged a glance with Suigetsu; they shrugged, and followed the other people in. Maybe Itachi hadn't heard it.

As they climbed all the way up to the fifth floor—Sasuke didn't much like elevators, and Suigetsu, well, he was just being a good friend, though his breathing became a bit wheezy—Sasuke felt an annoying, nagging nervousness spreading steadily through him. It was making him fidgety and anxious. His palms were becoming kind of sweaty. Damn it, he thought, wiping them on his jeans, what if Itachi wanted to give him a handshake? No good. Sweaty palms weren't a good first impression. Not in a job interview. And certainly not when meeting a long lost brother.

"Hey Sasuke, didn't you say we were supposed to be here at six?"

"Yeah."

Suigetsu was checking his cell. "It's like five forty. Maybe we're too early."

"I thought the cab ride would take longer. Isn't there usually traffic, like all the time?"

"Apparently not today."

"I'm sure it's fine. Better to be early than late, right?" He brushed it off, but he felt even more nervous now. He wiped his hands again. He felt kind of sick. His chest was constricting for some reason. Shit. Was he having an anxiety attack, or something?

He'd only had one anxiety attack before, and that was a long time ago, when some crappy foster parents forced him to take a swimming class in junior high even though he didn't want to, and he almost drowned because those stupid visions happened and he couldn't move. The teacher had dragged him out, and it had been so humiliating…

Okay. Thinking about that did not help.

"Are you okay?" asked Suigetsu. They reached the fifth floor and went to knock on the door.

Sasuke tugged at his collar, even though it wasn't tight at all. If he just focused on breathing properly, maybe it would be okay.

"Yeah, just, you know. That was a lot of stairs." Not that it was a problem for him, considering his level of cardio, but Suigetsu didn't need to know that.

"Yeah, man, you really need to work on your fear of elevators."

"It's not a fear," he replied defensively, "it's just, what if it gets stuck, you know?"

Suigetsu rolled his eyes.

No one was opening the door. Suigetsu tried the door knob.

It wasn't locked. So he opened it.

"What are you doing?"

"Well it's not locked!" Suigetsu exclaimed. "What's the problem? He's your brother. Maybe he's cooking, and he didn't hear us. I can smell cooking. It smells really good, actually."

Suigetsu was right. There was definitely something cooking, but not dinner. More like… something sweet. Like brownies. It did smell nice, even though Sasuke didn't usually like sweets. So there was definitely someone in the apartment.

They figured out the reason why no one was hearing them: music. It came from one of the bedrooms. Not Itachi's. Sasuke remembered where that one was. He had almost died in it after all.

Naruto's bedroom, then. Sasuke walked across the hallway—he couldn't help but notice how nice the hardwood floors were here, and they didn't creak, either, now that was luxury—and knocked on the door. The music was familiar.

Linkin Park. Old school. And… was Naruto singing?

Yeah. He was definitely singing. The rap part.

Suigetsu knocked. No answer.

_"…time is a valuable thing, watch it fly by as the pendulum swings, watch it countdown 'til the end of the day, the clock ticks life away…"_

"Hey he's good!" Suigetsu smiled. "Is that your brother? We should open it."

"No! Just knock louder."

"It's okay we'll surprise him! I'm sure he'll want an audience."

"Suigetsu, don't—"

Too late. Suigetsu pushed the door open.

"Hi there!"

"Shit, what the fuck?" Naruto cried out before throwing a tissue box at him.

Right in his face.

"You can't just walk in like that!" Naruto closed his laptop angrily, and the music stopped. "What are you doing? That's not okay."

"Wow," Suigetsu said, "you two don't look anything alike."

Sasuke scratched his hair, sighing. "Suigetsu… that's not him. That's Naruto, his adoptive brother."

Suigetsu held his right hand for a handshake. He held the tissue box in the left.

"Well, it's nice to meet you. I'll try to forgive the fact that you just threw this at me. Although, I hope you never get robbed. Not exactly the best weapon." Oh, wow, he was trying to be funny now.

And Naruto wasn't laughing. He wasn't shaking his hand either. He grabbed the box and threw it on the desk. Now that he took a better look, Sasuke noticed just how messy Naruto's bedroom was. There was a chair buried under a pile of clothes in one corner. School books all over the floor. Some of them were opened. Some of them had ripped pages.

Naruto stepped out of his bedroom and shut the door before Sasuke could keep analyzing the mess.

"You're just lucky it was the first thing I found."

"I didn't mean to intrude," Suigetsu said, his tone changing. "I swear. I thought you were doing a really good job, with that song. I can't sing like that, or rap, or… anything. It just sounds weird if I try. Which," he laughed, "I try sometimes, you know, but only when I'm alone."

Naruto made a show of walking around them and ignoring them, and made his way to the kitchen.

"Yeah well I _thought_ I was alone."

Suigetsu stopped laughing. "Right. I'm sorry. So… where's Sasuke's brother?"

"He's not back from work yet. He should be here soon."

The kitchen was immaculate. Sasuke could tell that an effort had been made. Naruto looked nice, too, actually… Slim dark blue jeans and white long sleeve shirt. It even looked like he had brushed his hair.

Surely all this was just keep up the facade with Itachi, though.

Naruto opened the oven, and took out what was in it. Sasuke had been right; those looked like brownies. But it smelled like—

"Peanut butter brownies!" Suigetsu exclaimed. "Awesome. So… is that our dinner?" He tried a little laugh but it died in his throat at Naruto's look.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, taking off the oven mitts and tossing then onto the counter.

"Does he actually think he's funny?"

"He's just trying to be nice," Sasuke said, "and make conversation. That's what normal people do. You know, I'd really like to tell you something in private. Just…stay here Suigetsu, all right? It won't be long."

"Um, okay…"

Naruto rolled his eyes, but he led him back to his bedroom and they closed the door.

"What is it?"

"_What is it?_ Are you kidding me?" Sasuke kept his voice low, so Suigetsu wouldn't hear. "I know what you said to Itachi. He told me. I know you lied."

Naruto swallowed hard, his arms crossed tight against his chest. He looked tense, and uncomfortable. He was avoiding Sasuke's gaze.

"So you better act nice, okay? If you don't want me to tell him the truth about how you got me here. I bet you didn't tell him I almost died, either. Probably thinks my health was super and peachy the whole freaking time."

"I _am_ acting nice. I made stupid brownies."

Sasuke leaned against the wall, next to the door, and he let out a chuckle. Then he laughed. He just couldn't help himself.

"What?" Naruto looked confused. "What's so funny?"

Sasuke shook his head, and he sighed shakily, pressing a hand to his chest. Naruto's bedroom was kind of nice, if you forgot about the mess. The walls were two colors, apple green and dark orange. Sasuke usually hated the color orange, but this shade was nice. Like sunset.

"I don't know. We're all trying to act normal, I guess. When… when the last time I was here so much weird stuff happened. When we both know we hate each other."

"We better go back to your friend…" Naruto grabbed the door knob, then turned towards Sasuke.

They were standing a bit too close for comfort. Sasuke found himself somewhat intimidated by Naruto's stare—those intense blue eyes—but he didn't falter. Also he couldn't help but notice that he smelled really nice. He had already noticed it before, the other night. Something difficult to describe—pure and fresh, and exotic. And citrusy, but that was probably just his shampoo.

"Are you keeping it under control?" It was almost a whisper.

Sasuke frowned slightly. "Keeping what under control?"

His eyes narrowed. "Don't play dumb."

"I've never been better. Nothing's happened. No visions. No demons. Nothing."

Naruto was still studying his face. Sasuke felt a bit annoyed suddenly. He couldn't hold his gaze anymore. So instead he looked down. He absently noted that Naruto wore a necklace, but it was tucked under his shirt so he couldn't see its pendant.

Sasuke cleared his throat.

"Let's just…"

"Yeah," Naruto said.

They went back to the other room. Suigetsu was just standing there awkwardly. Actually he was looking at the brownies.

"Those look really good."

"It's not actually dinner, though," Naruto said, forcing a little smile, "Itachi's bringing takeout. Chinese. Hope that's okay with everyone. We're not really strong on cooking. Well, I do cook obviously but just cookies and cakes and stuff."

"That's pretty cool! Sasuke and I aren't really good at cooking either. So is that what you want to do? Pastry school or something?"

"I don't really know yet."

Naruto led them to the living room as they waited for Itachi. It was pretty trendy, with black and white modern art paintings—trees and birds mostly—and pure white sofas. The glass coffee table was spotless. The flat screen television sat on a pale wood stand, and on either side shelves of the same material held various books and some movies. Buying movies was still a thing, apparently. Sasuke noted that some of the books were the same he had at home; sci-fi mostly, but also fantasy novels and thrillers. Orson Scott-Card's Ender's Game was in there, and Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas, and—

"Sasuke?"

"What?"

Suigetsu was smiling at him from the sofa. "You seemed lost in your own little world there."

"Yeah, sorry." He went to sit next to Suigetsu. Naruto took place on the other sofa. He grabbed a black pillow and clutched it to his chest. He looked at the TV screen like it might magically turn on. Well, maybe they did now. Sasuke wasn't much aware of new technology. They didn't even have a TV at home.

Suigetsu was looking at Naruto with an amused look in his eyes. "Sasuke does that too, with the pillows at home. He doesn't use them for his back. Just grabs them. First thing he does when we sit for a movie…"

He interrupted himself when he saw that Naruto threw the pillow aside and crossed his arms, acting like nothing had happened.

Suigetsu cleared his throat. "Well, um, so, do you go to school?"

"Yeah."

"Do you work, too, or just school?"

"I have two jobs, actually."

"Hey, Sasuke also has—" They both stared at him, and he stopped.

"What's with the suit?"

"I just thought, you know, I just wanted to look nice. This is important. Sasuke's brother…"

"Are you two together?" Naruto eyed them suspiciously.

"Oh, no, it would be way too weird. Sasuke moved in with me and my parents when he was fourteen. My parents practically adopted him, so we're kind of like brothers ourselves. I'm straight, anyway."

"Me too," Naruto quickly said. Which was kind of weird. No one asked him. Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"So where do you work?" Suigetsu asked to change the subject.

"I work some night shifts at a coffee shop. And I give swimming lessons for kids at a sports center on the weekend."

"That's a lot, with school," Suigetsu said, nodding appreciatively.

Naruto shrugged. "I can handle it."

So smug. How had he even found Naruto attractive, on that first night? It was probably just the MDMA. He was _so_ never touching that stuff again.

"That's so cool, though. Swimming lessons. I love swimming. Sasuke hates it though. Just hates water for some reason."

Naruto didn't look like he cared. He hadn't even looked at Sasuke once since they walked in the living room. Suigetsu cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. Basically he looked like he was trying really hard to find something else to say. Sasuke felt the urge to hug him for being such a good friend. And just for being here, really. He so wouldn't want to be alone with Naruto right now.

The door opened then. Itachi was here. _Thank God_.

"Hey… sorry I'm a little late, but I come bearing food…"

Naruto went to help him. There was some rustling as he took off his coat and shoes, and keys were dropped on a counter. Suigetsu and Sasuke rose from the couch and took a few steps forward, but they weren't sure if they were supposed to follow Naruto or just wait here… Sasuke's heart was beating ridiculously fast.

Seriously though. Why was his heart beating so fast? Damn… Was it going to come out of his chest, or something? This was ridiculous.

Naruto went to the kitchen with the food, and they heard him take out some plates from the dishwasher. Itachi stepped in the living room, all hesitant and timid. He was tall—even taller than Sasuke. They did look very much alike, with some differences. To put it bluntly, Itachi looked more Asian. Sasuke could easily pass as Caucasian with his pale skin, but he did have slightly slanted eyes and sleek raven hair. Itachi's eyes were darker and his stylish, freshly cut short hair was jet black.

Suigetsu broke the ice. And evidently he'd been thinking just the same thing. "I knew it," he said, waving a finger at Sasuke. "I knew one of your parents had to be Asian."

"Our mother," Itachi said, "was Japanese."

Itachi looked all business-like and professional, wearing slim black pants and a pale gray dress shirt and dark blue tie. He even carried a briefcase, which he put down against the wall. A magazine was sticking out of the side pocket. Financial Times.

Pretty serious stuff.

Sasuke really hoped Itachi wouldn't start a conversation on the economy, or politics, and ask him questions, because he wasn't really, um, aware, of everything that was going on…

Itachi seemed unsure of what to say.

"It's so nice to meet you," Sasuke said. He hoped his voice didn't sound too shaky. He also hoped they couldn't hear his heart hammering.

"Yeah, of course, it's… it's surreal." He smiled, and let out a breath. "It's kind of like looking in a mirror."

"You two really look alike," Suigetsu nodded. "It's pretty crazy."

They all sat down, and Naruto came back with the plates and the food which he had put in bowls on a tray. "There," he said, clearly trying to lighten the mood, "now it looks like it was homemade."

No one started eating. Well, this was just…

"So, Itachi, what do you do for work?" Suigetsu asked.

Thank God for Suigetsu.

Plus, in the cab, Sasuke had already fed him some made up story: his biological parents had died and Naruto's parents had adopted Itachi, but they didn't have enough money to adopt two kids unfortunately. Naruto's parents kept the information secret for a long time, but recently they unfortunately passed away too—cancer, very tragic—and Itachi found out he had a brother, and he found him.

So there. That was taken care of. This way Suigetsu wouldn't interrogate Itachi. Well, not about that stuff, anyway.

"I'm a marketing executive," Itachi said.

Suigetsu grabbed a plate and chopsticks and helped himself to some food, and then they all did the same. Sasuke was really glad he'd brought him, after all. He made a note to self to thank him later for being so awesome. He couldn't have done this by himself.

"All done with school already, then?"

"Yeah, all done. What about you?"

Suigetsu looked up from his food. "I'm in physics at Columbia. I'm not really sure I like it, though."

"Well, you're still young. You have time to change your mind, if you want. And you should. Don't stay in something you don't like."

This went on for a little while. It was just Itachi and Suigetsu talking so far, which wasn't exactly a success either. This was supposed to be about Sasuke and Itachi meeting properly, after all. Sasuke decided he should make an effort.

Even though his chest still hurt, and his heart was still beating fast, which was kind of weird. And this food was making him feel a little sick. In fact, he wasn't eating with much appetite.

But he should still make an effort and speak up.

"So if you're on the phone all the time," he said, and the three others—even Naruto, who glanced up from his noodles for the first time—looked at him, "does that interfere with your personal life, or…?"

Itachi looked really glad that Sasuke had addressed him. In fact, he seemed so relieved, like he would be ready to answer anything Sasuke wanted to ask him. Anything at all. '_What is the true meaning of life?' _ And Itachi would do his very best to answer that.

"Yeah, actually. Those clients always worry too much—always calling me at the worst times. I was on a date once, and I really had to take the call because it was an important client, you know? And they had so many questions, so it took forever, even though I tried to explain everything really efficiently. Unfortunately, it was kind of a deal breaker for the girl. She said her ex was always on the phone, too, and she didn't want to get back into a relationship like that…"

"That sucks," said Suigetsu, putting down his chopsticks as he had finished most of his food already. How he managed to eat so fast and make conversation at the same time always fascinated Sasuke.

He had just figured out what to ask Itachi next, when something happened. Something very, very much unwanted.

His imaginary friend the British reaper showed up. He just appeared in the living room; Sasuke looked up and there he was. With all the gear. Calf high boots, black as night outfit, hood, gloves, and that sword with the little red snake curling around the hilt. Sasuke could see his pale blue eyes gleaming under his hood. And his smile, too.

"Hey Sasuke. Long time, no see."

_Not long enough._

"It's me, Deidara, remember?"

_ I wish I could forget. _

The others couldn't see or hear him, of course.

Suigetsu and Itachi were still talking, but Sasuke couldn't really hear them. He was starting to panic. He felt cold and hot at the same time, like he suddenly had a fever.

He glanced toward Naruto, but he was very focused on trying to grab his last noodle with his chopsticks. Then he gave up and used his fingers.

"I was going to cut you some slack, but the situation is really bad," Deidara said as he stepped closer. He was nearing the glass table now. "I really need your help."

His help? What the hell was he talking about?

"I'll explain everything, don't worry."

_ Bad timing. This is a really bad time. If you could come back later._

Just ignore him, Sasuke told himself. He could just ignore him. If the others couldn't see him, then that meant he wasn't real, right? He couldn't do anything.

Somehow the conversation had changed, and now Suigetsu and Itachi were talking about movies.

"Jared and Matthew really deserved their Oscars," Suigetsu was saying, gesturing with his hand as though he was ready to receive an Oscar himself. "But honestly, I still think Leo Dicaprio should have won, you know?"

Itachi was nodding. "Yeah."

Deidara didn't like this. "You can't ignore me," he said.

Why wasn't anyone else seeing him? Hearing him?

Deidara stepped over the coffee table without touching anything, without making a sound. Now he stood right in front of Sasuke, and he bent over, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him.

"You can't ignore me. You need to come with me. I'll show you around. It's better if your body stays here, for the first time, just to be safe."

What the _fuck_ was he talking about?  
>Sasuke was freaking out. He suddenly pushed past Deidara—and he really could <em>feel<em> him too, which freaked him out even more—and rushed out of the living room. He just looked over his shoulder and told them he needed to go to the bathroom. They were giving him weird looks. Especially Naruto. But Sasuke just needed to get away from them. He had no idea what was going on. He needed to figure this out.

So he found the bathroom and hid himself in there. His legs felt weak. As he looked at his arm he saw that he had goose bumps all over his skin.

His chest hurt so much. Like something wanted to burst…

He grabbed the sink counter, but his hand slid, and he just let himself drop to the tiled floor, leaning against the glass shower stall. He jumped out of his skin when he looked up and saw that Deidara was looming over him, the blackness of his getup clashing with the white bathroom.

"Just go away…" he whispered. He didn't want the others to hear him.

"I can't. I need you. You must come with me. And listen to me…" That ridiculous British accent. It almost sounded fake.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Yes, precisely! _Hell_. We must go, now."

"What?" He swallowed hard. He couldn't crawl away. Deidara had one knee down and he was holding his shoulders again, staring him right in the eye. He looked young; he couldn't be much older than Sasuke, from his appearance. His eyes were a deep blue shade and he had some freckles on his cheeks, only visible from up close. He looked so real, and his hands felt warm on his shoulders. Was this a dream or a hallucination or what?

"Sasuke, don't panic, okay? It's going to be okay. All you have to do is stay with me. The first time can be scary, but it doesn't have to be. Just stay near me at all times."

His body was becoming paralyzed, and cold. This was just like in the dreams—nightmares, visions, hallucinations, whatever those were. It was happening again.

There was blood on the walls. On the towels. Red staining white.

"No…" he grabbed Deidara's sleeve. He was willing to acknowledge him. To listen to him. Anything... "Not that. Please. Stop it."

"It's okay. You'll get used to it. Just close your eyes."

And he wanted to. It would be so much easier to just close his eyes. But he was scared.

"Don't be afraid," said Deidara.

The bathroom door opened then. Sasuke hadn't locked it.

"What's going on?" It was Naruto. He closed the door again, and stepped closer hesitantly. And then his eyes widened. Naruto could see him too now. Sasuke could tell. But he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. And he couldn't even open his mouth to say something to Naruto.

What would he say, anyway? Ask for help? That would be pathetic. Naruto probably didn't even care.

"It's too late," Deidara said. "He's coming with me."

"No, wait—" Naruto took another step closer. But he did nothing.

There was nothing he could do. Deidara was right. It was too late.

Sasuke saw blood everywhere, and his ears were ringing loudly. He closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he was in a different place.

_Author's note: I hope you don't mind when I change characters appearances slightly, like Itachi having short hair, that kind of thing. I just feel like it makes the story a bit more realistic. Not too many young men have long hair. Oh well. Hope you enjoyed it, more to come if you're still up for it!? ^^ Send your comments my way, positive and/or negative. I can handle it :P_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"_I don't like to commit myself about heaven and hell—you see, I have friends in both places."_

"Take care of sleeping beauty while we're gone." The demon pulled his hood over his face. Naruto could swear he had winked at him just now. And then he was gone. Just like that.

Sasuke's body remained, but he was gone, too. His spirit was gone.

"Shit."

Naruto brought his hand to his lips, pinching his bottom lip with his nails.

"Fuck."

He dropped to his knees and pressed his hand to Sasuke's neck. His skin was really cold, but he could feel a pulse. Slow. But it was there. He breathed out in relief.

How had he not felt that demon's presence? All those years, his mother had taught him to use his powers. All for nothing, it seemed. She would be so disappointed. He looked down at Sasuke's pale face, feeling distraught.

If he hadn't been so busy acting cold and distant toward him, maybe this wouldn't have happened.

Naruto had certain abilities, just like his mother before him; they were, technically, completely capable of driving demons and dark spirits away. Well, unfortunately, it wasn't always that simple in real life.

And everything had been much simpler when she was still alive. His father had known about everything, too, of course. He even shared some of Kushina's powers. Without them Naruto felt lost. Completely lost.

He took a deep breath. Okay. Enough with the self-pity party. Sasuke needed his help. Just because Naruto didn't much like him didn't mean he should let him die.

Trying to remember everything Kushina had taught him, he leaned closer to Sasuke. His black eyelashes were long. And his pale skin was really soft. Naruto shook his head clear. Why was he noticing useless details?

He unbuttoned Sasuke's shirt. He had to be touching him for this to work. So he put one hand on his chest, over his heart, and the other on his forehead, brushing the sleek dark hair aside.

Naruto was supposed to be able to bring people back from their nightmares. This wasn't exactly a nightmare, if the demon had brought Sasuke's spirit to the other side, but… Kushina had told him once that people with supernatural abilities were supposed to be able to travel to the other side and back, if they wanted to. So this should work, technically.

But nothing happened.

Sasuke's heartbeat seemed to be slowing. And his skin was getting even colder. What the hell was this? That hooded demon guy had no idea what he was doing. Naruto slid his hand into Sasuke's hair, and pressed their foreheads together. He squeezed his eyes shut. "Come on," he whispered.

Suddenly he felt very cold, and as his eyes snapped open he realized he was standing in the middle of a frozen lake. And beyond it was only darkness. He looked down and with horror he saw that there was someone stuck under the thick ice. Sasuke. And he wasn't moving.

Then he looked up as he heard strange, distorted moans in the distance. From the shadows came tall black silhouettes, advancing quickly. Naruto wanted to scream but nothing came out. He brought down a fist to try to break the ice and get to Sasuke, but it was completely pointless. And those black, darting shapes were getting closer. Some of them started shrieking, a high-pitched, deafening noise.

Fear gripped at Naruto's heart and his blood froze in his veins.

But then it was over; as suddenly as it had all appeared before him, it was gone. He was back in the bathroom, and Itachi was pulling him to his feet.

"What's going on? You were trembling."

"I was trying to get into his head," Naruto said, panting. "To bring him back. But I couldn't…" He looked down. It was true. His hands were trembling. He brought them together. Shit. "It was so terrifying, Itachi. I'm sure mom could've helped him, I'm sure she could've, but I can't… I don't think I can…"

"It's okay. Calm down. We'll figure this out."

He nodded. Itachi sat next to Sasuke, and touched his hand.

"He's freezing."

"I know… I don't know if he's going to make it on his own. I need to try again…"

"No." Itachi said firmly. "Absolutely not. Just… wait for me. I'll come up with some excuse for Suigetsu. Wait for me and don't do anything until I come back."

Naruto just nodded again, and he sat on the floor as Itachi left the small room. Naruto took Sasuke's hands and brought them together, squeezing them, trying to warm them. He felt so useless.

He heard voices, but he couldn't make out what Itachi was saying.

Eventually, he heard the entrance door being opened and closed again. Itachi hurriedly came back to the bathroom.

"What did you tell him?"

"That he had food poisoning, and that he was going to spend the night here. That he was too embarrassed for Suigetsu to see him like this."

"What did Suigetsu say?"

"Nothing much. I think he bought it. He seems to trust me."

"So what do we do now?"

"This." Itachi leaned over the bath tub on the other side of the small room, and he started filling it with steaming hot water.

"That's a good idea."

A phone buzzed then, and Naruto frowned as he realized it came from Sasuke's pocket. So impulsively he grabbed it and read the text message without thinking.

"Don't check his phone while he's unconscious! What are you doing?"

"I don't know I just..."

_'Hey there, this is Temari. We met at the gym last week, remember? I'm sure you do. I've been thinking about what you said. I think we should go for coffee some time.'_

"Stop reading it!" Itachi took the phone from him, and put it on the sink counter.

Naruto said nothing. But he wondered what that text was all about. He thought Sasuke was gay. Was he bisexual, then? He realized he was being really stupid right now. All that wouldn't matter if Sasuke died tonight, would it?

"We need to get him in that water. Or he'll get hypothermia…" Naruto said.

"Right."

"Do we take off his clothes, or…?"

"No! What if he wakes up? It's fine, come on…"

Itachi grabbed his feet, and Naruto under his shoulders, and together they put him inside the tub. Hopefully the hot water would warm him up. Naruto didn't know what else he could do… Unless he tried again, but…

What were those black things?

He shuddered just thinking about it. What was Sasuke going through right now? All alone, trapped in that ice… What was that demon _doing_?

Well, speaking of the devil.

"Hello there." The demon showed up, looking a bit nervous. His hood was off, and he cleared his throat as he stepped forward. Apparently he chose to show himself to Itachi as well.

"I might require some assistance."

"Who the hell is this?" Itachi asked, keeping his hand on Sasuke's shoulder to keep him from sliding in the water.

"A demon. He's the one who took Sasuke away."

"Well, when you put it like that, it sounds quite bad, I suppose. My name is Deidara, for starters. Please don't call me demon. I'm a reaper. Also, please know that I don't want to hurt Sasuke. I just want to help him! I just wanted to show him around a little, but he didn't stay with me. He just ran off and now…" He reached up with his hand to scratch his blonde hair, and shook his head. He looked annoyed.

Itachi was furious. "Well bring him back then. What are you waiting for?"

"Well, that's the thing. I might need some help with that. Little fox, if you would?"

"Don't call me that," Naruto muttered. Then he sighed shakily, and met Itachi's dark eyes. "No choice now," he said urgently, "I have to try. Even the demon says so."

"And why exactly should we listen to him?" Itachi hissed.

"We've got no choice. He's dying. I've got to bring him back."

Naruto plunged a hand in the water, grabbed the back of Sasuke's neck, and pressed their foreheads together, like before.

This time he was more in control. He was scared, but he was determined, too. He accepted the fear. He accepted the cold and the darkness. He was diving in.

But this time, when he opened his eyes, he wasn't with Sasuke.

He was alone.

And his worst fear was coming true.

…

The ice was melting around Sasuke. Slowly disappearing. It didn't make any sense. That should be a good thing, but it was not, because now the black shadows could get to him. They had been trying to get to him this whole time. They were tall, elongated silhouettes, like deformed, contorted humans. But they didn't have faces. It was just all black. Just shadows. Why were they moaning and groaning, then? Their anger was directed at Sasuke. They wanted to get to him. They wanted to hurt him. One of the black shapes grabbed him and pulled him out of the ice. But it hadn't completely melted yet. To Sasuke's horror, his foot remained stuck in the ice. But the creature kept pulling, so intensely that the bone eventually snapped, and his foot got torn off.

With a scream of anguish Sasuke got yanked out of the water. The black shapes started moving around him in darting movements, slicing him with black daggers that seemed to be made of shadows. The pool of water where the ice had melted, where Sasuke was trapped just now, became red with the blood running from Sasuke's leg.

He felt faint and tried to curl up on himself as much as possible, protecting his face with his arms. Those creatures wouldn't stop. Their moans had turned into a terrifying laughter. He had no idea what was happening. There was only fear. He couldn't think. Couldn't move.

But then suddenly they… froze. And stopped.

And Sasuke heard Deidara's voice. "Go away you low life scum! Go! Now!"

They hesitated, then cowered away and dispersed through the night. Sasuke was trembling, and still curled up on himself. He wasn't even sure if it was night. The sky above was so black—starless and moonless—that it looked artificial. And somehow they could still see even with no light. It was as though pale light emanated from the lake, and from Deidara also, as he stepped closer.

He grabbed Sasuke's collar and pulled him up. "Now, listen. I can't have you becoming paralyzed in fear every time you come here."

"What were those things?" He breathed shakily.

"Many names for them. Ghosts. Black ones. Who cares? Lost souls, all of them. They gave up. Come on, you're better than this, Sasuke. Sure, Hell can be a bit tricky at first, but you'll get used to it. You can't let them scare you like that. Oh, look at you. You're still shaking in fear. Can you even stand on your own?"

He dropped him and Sasuke fell to the ground, feeling humiliated. But his leg… He held it and repressed a scream of pain. There was so much blood.

But Deidara was shaking his head. Sasuke wondered how he could even see him in the darkness; black against black. But Deidara's pale blue eyes were gleaming.

"It's all in your overly creative brain, love. It's not real. You're only here in spirit; your real body's not even here. Look again." Sasuke looked, but his leg was still mutilated. His foot still very much missing. He felt a wave of nausea burning his chest, and this time he couldn't repress a moan as he fell back onto the icy ground. This felt very real to him.

"Okay. Plan B. I thought I might need some assistance. So I brought your friend along. Thought you two might help each other. Because, honestly I haven't got all night… Better things to do, you know."

"What have you done?"

Friend? Was he talking about Naruto? Naruto couldn't be here. This was Hell. Literally. Deidara had said so, and now Sasuke believed him. Naruto didn't belong here. He belonged in his home with Itachi, safe and away from all this. Sasuke shouldn't even have gone back there. He should've left them alone, and maybe they could've finally had a chance at a normal life; he owed them that much.

And now Deidara had brought Naruto here? This was the worst…

"He's up there," Deidara said, pointing with a finger. As Sasuke looked, he realized the scenery had changed, as though they were in a dream. They were in the middle of a forest now, with tall, crooked, leafless black trees. Sasuke forced himself to sit up and he narrowed his eyes to try to see Naruto. He was at the top of the tallest tree, clutching a branch that looked way too fragile to hold his weight.

"It turns out," Deidara mused, "he's afraid of heights. Well, afraid of falling, really. I find it odd how people say they're afraid of heights, but really what they're afraid of is falling, isn't it?"

"Why did you do this?"

Deidara shrugged. "I figured he might be strong enough to handle it and talk some sense into you. Not very likely, though. So it was either that, or he lost it like you did, and _you_ would be forced to come to your senses and save him. I should let you know, even though you're both only here in spirit, if your body thinks you're dead, it can be very dangerous. So don't take this lightly. So, will you save him?" Deidara looked deep into his eyes, searching them for answers. "Look, Sasuke, I need to know if you can do this. And I need to know it now. I'm sorry this is all a bit rushed. But we don't have much time. I know it's all very troubling at first, but all those illusions, you can just ignore them. You'll even learn to bend reality to your will with time. For now, all you need to do is help him. By doing that, you should stop being afraid of your own fears."

"I want to help him," Sasuke said firmly. "I have to. This is my fault."

"Well it's mine, really, but whatever works for you…"

Sasuke ignored him. He just kept looking at that tree. Before he knew it he was back on his feet, and he knew even without looking that Deidara had been right, and that his leg was fine.

The tree looked so thin and fragile that Sasuke wasn't sure it could hold both their weights. Bend reality? Well, he wasn't quite there yet, so he would have to go with what he thought was best.

Suddenly a strong, cold wind blew—seemingly from all directions—brushing his hair from his face and slipping through his clothes, chilling his very bones. The tree Naruto clung to got yanked around in all directions by this wind, especially at the top. Naruto was clearly terrified, but he wasn't screaming. He was just paralyzed in fear. Sasuke wasn't unfamiliar to the feeling.

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the lowest branch of the nearest tree he could find, and he pulled himself up. Tree climbing wasn't exactly rock climbing, but his cardio was there, and his arms and legs were strong, so he managed. When he couldn't find branches he found cracks and ridges in the trunk and pulled himself up somehow.

Outdoor climbing wasn't the same as indoor climbing, either. Sasuke had always wanted to go on climbing expeditions with Suigetsu's father and his friends, and he was even scheduled to go with them next time. Now he wasn't so sure. That harsh wind was really annoying. Actually, he regretted letting his hair grow longer. Now it was all over his eyes and he couldn't see a damn thing as he tried to climb up that stupid rickety old tree. Those black branches were really freaking him out, too. No wood was that black.

As he climbed higher—he was halfway to Naruto's height now—he saw a thick line of gray smoke in the distance, towering in the black sky. The wind carried the smell of something burning. Something, or someone.

Or several people.

_Focus_.

He couldn't be afraid now. Naruto needed him. So he kept climbing. When Naruto saw him, instead of being grateful, he freaked out even more.

"No… No! Don't! If you come on this tree it'll—it'll fall over for sure. It can't hold both of us. It's already…" The strong wind yanked the tree from side to side, over and over again, and Naruto was terribly pale, like he was about to pass out. His knuckles were white from clutching the tree so tightly, and blood trickled from his palms. There were tears in his eyes.

Sasuke climbed up the rest of his tree, and now he was almost as high as Naruto.

"I won't come on your tree. I promise," he yelled to be heard over that wind. He could still see all that smoke clouding the sky—gray against black—but he ignored it. He just looked at Naruto.

"We have to get down. I'll help you."

"N-No. I can't. If I move, it'll… it's gonna… I can't."

"Your left foot," Sasuke said.

"What?"

"I need you to bring your left foot down on that other branch right there." He pointed and Naruto looked down. "That's it. You can do it, Naruto. It's just another branch, just a little lower. We're going to do this one step at a time, okay? Slowly… That's it."

Naruto did as he was told. He wanted to get down, he just didn't know how. That was why Sasuke was here. He climbed down too, to be always just a little lower than Naruto was. Some of the higher branches of the trees were knocked together by the wind, making a hollow sound. The branch Naruto had been standing on before cracked and broke, and he yelped as it almost hit his face.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke shouted.

"Y-Yeah I think so." He just had a scratch on his cheek.

They kept going down for a bit, Naruto following Sasuke's instructions. This was excruciatingly slow, but at least Naruto was listening, and he was making progress.

"How did you even get up there?" asked Sasuke at some point.

"I didn't! I was _already_ up there! Just like you were under that ice. How did you get out?"

Sasuke shivered violently. "It's not important. How did you even know about that?"

Naruto was crouched on a thick branch, clutching the trunk with one hand. They were halfway down.

"I saw it!" He shouted. "I came here to help _you_. But then…"

"It's okay," Sasuke said. "We'll both be fine."

"But what am I supposed to do next?"

Sasuke had just been wondering the same thing. Some branches on Naruto's tree seemed to be missing. There was no foothold. He had to either find deep enough cracks in the trunk or let go and jump down onto a lower branch. He explained this to Naruto, slowly and patiently, but his face paled even more and he clutched the branch he was crouching on with his injured hand.

"I can't."

"Okay, listen. I'm going on your tree."

"No…" His voice was a frightened whisper.

"It's fine. It's solid enough down here. It can hold both of us. Don't you trust me?"

"No."

"Well you don't have much of a choice right now!"

Naruto said nothing.

Sasuke leaned closer and leaped onto the other tree, catching himself on a branch just a little lower than the one Naruto had to jump on.

"Come on," he said. "Just come down, and if you fall I'll catch you. I promise."

Naruto shook his head, closing his eyes. "I can't, I can't…"

"Come on!" Sasuke shouted again. "Do you think I climbed all the way up there, and helped you down all this way just to let you fall? I would never! Now just let your legs down, and hold yourself up with your hands, and let go for just one second and you'll land on the other branch, okay?"

Naruto nodded. He let his legs dangle like Sasuke said. And it took him some time, but eventually he let go. At the same time, the wind blew strong, making the branch crack. Naruto got scared and his shoe slipped.

But Sasuke was ready. He caught him as he fell, slid his arms around his waist and pulled him close, so they were standing on the same branch, and leaning against the trunk. Naruto was completely terrified. For a moment he hesitated, but then he wrapped his arms around Sasuke and leaned into him completely, burying his face in his neck. He cried and Sasuke didn't know what to do. He just held him tight.

"It's okay," he said awkwardly. He wasn't very good at comforting people. "It's gonna be okay."

Naruto sniffed, but he said nothing, and he didn't pull away. He was clinging to Sasuke as tightly as he had held that branch earlier.

"We're almost there."

"No we're not," Naruto replied immediately, and he sounded so frightened and shaken up. He couldn't do this.

"Okay, I know what we're gonna do. Get on my back."

"What?"

"I'm serious. Get on my back. I'll get us down. I can do this." He tried to sound as confident as possible. Apparently, it worked.

Naruto nodded and as Sasuke turned around, he climbed on his back, wrapping his legs tightly around his hips and his arms around his neck—a little too tightly.

"Naruto… I can't breathe."

"Sorry." He loosened his grip, but not that much.

It wasn't easy with the added weight. It wasn't easy at all. And Sasuke had sounded all confident before but he had no idea if he could do this. He proceeded slowly.

At least, the branches were a little bit more thick and dense down here. He managed to find a good foothold every time, and their progression was slow but steady. Naruto had closed his eyes a while back, and he just trusted Sasuke now. It felt… kind of good, somehow. Something warm and tingly spreading across his chest. Maybe it just felt good to be protecting someone.

They reached the last branch and unfortunately there was a long way with no branches whatsoever before reaching the ground. Sasuke helped Naruto down on the branch and explained the situation.

"So I'm going to jump first, and then you—"

But Naruto was shaking his head stubbornly. "No, no, I can't… Please don't make me do this."

"Naruto it's not that high. We're gonna be okay. I'll jump first and you'll see."

"No, wait, don't leave me alone please…"

"We've got to get down, okay?"

So he jumped, landed in a crouch on the earthy cold ground, and leaped back up. "See? That was fine. And you'll be just fine, too. I'll catch you if you want, okay? Like I did before." He extended his arms and opened his palms. "Come on," he encouraged him, "you can do this. I know you can."

Naruto really was terrified, though. Sasuke wondered what had made him so afraid of heights. But now wasn't the time to start a conversation.

Suddenly the tree seemed to move. There was a sort of rustling, creaking sound as it seemed to start changing shapes. To Sasuke's horror, it was coming out the ground some more, elongating, growing even taller. Naruto's fear must have created this. And now he was getting even further from the ground. He was completely freaking out.

"Sasuke!"

"Just jump! Before it's too late! Hurry! I'll catch you!"

Naruto wanted to jump. Sasuke could tell he wanted to. But the branch was getting higher, and his fear was blocking him.

"I'll catch you," Sasuke said again, in a loud, but calm voice. It was now or never…

Naruto jumped. And Sasuke caught him as promised, and then they fell together and rolled over on the ground, before finally coming to a stop. But they were fine.

Even though he was still somewhat shaky, Naruto seemed to slowly regain his senses now that they were on firm ground. He pulled away from Sasuke, and got back on his feet. Sasuke did the same, quietly.

And before they could say a thing, they heard Deidara coming towards them, making his way through the trees. The wind seemed to have gone down somewhat.

He smiled. "There, I knew you could do it. So drowning," he pointed at Sasuke with his gloved hand, "and heights?" His finger pointed at Naruto. "Well. It's all a bit boring when you've seen it a thousand times, trust me. For me it was fire. And no one was there to help me—oh, no. So I spent weeks wandering around like an idiot, thinking I had third degree burns all over."

"Why did you make me come here if you knew I couldn't help him?" said Naruto resentfully. His fists were clenched at his sides.

"Oh but you did help him. Now, Sasuke, like I said, Hell is a bit tricky at first. But you'll see, it's not all that bad. In fact, you'll start craving it after a while. You'll definitely have to visit again soon. And stay longer next time. But I think that was enough for today."

Sasuke shook his head in disbelief. "You're insane if you think I'll ever come here again."

"Oh, don't say that. You'll come to like it so much when you overcome your fears, you'll see. It's quite liberating. It's kind of like sex. The more you do it, the better it gets. But I digress. All I'm trying to say is, Hell can be a lot of fun. You haven't seen anything yet. Still, never mind. It'll be for another time. And Naruto, I hope you enjoyed your little visit. I do hope there aren't too many side effects…"

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked.

But there was no time. Deidara disappeared in a sort of black cloud. In fact, everything disappeared. And when Sasuke opened his eyes again, he was in the bathroom again. In fact, he was in the bath tub, with his clothes on. Well, his shirt was unbuttoned, but—

He heard Itachi's voice. "Naruto? Are you okay?"

Naruto was on the floor, and he was waking up, too. Well, of course Itachi would make sure Naruto was okay first. That was only natural. They had grown up together, and they loved each other, and everything. Naruto was more his brother than Sasuke could ever be.

Sasuke grabbed the sides of the bath tub and sat up completely so he could look down at Naruto. He really didn't look good.

"I'm… fine."

But 'fine' wasn't good, was it? That didn't sound good at all. Naruto got up nonetheless, and pushed past Itachi. He didn't glance at Sasuke once.

He just walked out the bathroom, and into the hallway. And then they heard his bedroom door being slammed shut.

_ Great, _Sasuke thought,_ now he hates me even more. _

But that wasn't his most urgent problem. What was he going to do about Deidara? What if that demon guy kept coming after him?

"Are you all right?" Itachi asked carefully, stepping away from the tub.

"Yeah," he lied. He got out quietly and Itachi gave him a towel.

Of course he wasn't all right. The ice. The black creatures. His torn foot. The black, leafless trees. The harsh wind carrying the smell of burning flesh. He shivered, and looked at the bathroom door, through which Naruto had left so quickly.

And it wouldn't have been so bad, except Naruto had been there with him. So Sasuke couldn't deny it anymore. That place wasn't a nightmare. They couldn't both have the same nightmare. So it was real.

...

_Author's note: I love reading your reviews you guys are awesome^^_


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

_The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven._

When Sasuke got back from work Suigetsu urged him to his bedroom because he just had to watch some video. Apparently it was hilarious. And Sasuke absolutely _had_ to watch it.

"Not another My Little Pony parody, please, Suigetsu…"

"But this one is so funny! You'll like it, I promise! You need to laugh. Doctor's orders. You've been looking depressed ever since that food poisoning thing you had."

Suigetsu had multi-colored pillows on his bed with a Fluttershy plushie worth several hundred dollars—and yes, Sasuke knew their names; the consequences of living with a brony. Anyway. Sasuke would think that Suigetsu was the sick man here, not him.

There was a pony on his mouse pad too.

The parody didn't make him laugh.

"Oh, come on!" Suigetsu was rather disappointed.

It was another one of those silly songs, or whatever. Sasuke was tired. He wanted to change out of his skinny jeans. And he had a little bag full of new studs for his piercings and he wanted to go try them on.

"I've got better things to do…"

"Okay, wait!" Suigetsu raised a hand excitedly, and then he selected another youtube video. "You have to watch this one."

Sasuke's cell buzzed and he grabbed it. "Sorry," he said, "got to take this."

Saved.

By Itachi.

"Hey, what's up?"

Sasuke went to his bedroom, shrugged off his jacket and kicked the door closed. Then he fell on his bed. The duvet was soft and pale gray. He closed his eyes for a moment.

He heard Itachi sigh in the phone. "I'm really worried about Naruto."

Sasuke felt his chest tighten.

"Is he okay?"

"I think so. He goes to school, and he goes to work, and he eats properly and everything. But he always looks so depressed. I've never seen him like this before. After… you know…"

Sasuke encouraged him. "Yeah?" He had already answered all of Itachi's questions as best as he could. This was three days later. But if Itachi had more questions, he would do his best to answer them again… Even though he didn't understand any of it himself.

"You said… You said the reaper said there might be side effects."

"Yeah."

"So maybe this is it. He's just so depressed all the time. And sometimes he looks so scared. And anxious. Even his colleague from the coffee shop called to ask me what was going on. If someone had died, or something. Well, his parents already died, but I don't think that's what's going on. We're both still having trouble dealing with their death, but Naruto's always been really strong before. Now he just—"

"I'll fix this," Sasuke said.

"You will?" Itachi sounded so relieved.

Sasuke let his hand fall in his hair. He had no idea how, but… This was his fault.

_ I came here to save you. But then…_

Naruto's voice kept haunting him ever since that night.

"Yeah. It's gonna be okay. I'll figure it out."

"Just don't do anything too crazy, or dangerous, okay? Those powers you have—I never used them."

"I know."

"I don't even… I mean, I had it inside me, but it was like… You know how they say there's a part of our brain we never use? Well it was like that."

"I get it."

"Don't use it, if you don't have to…"

"I won't."

"Sasuke… thank you."

Why was he thanking him? Saturday night had been a disaster because of him.

Just hearing Itachi saying something like that… He could tell how much he loved Naruto, and how much he worried about him. Sasuke felt like a fist was closing in on his heart, crushing it slowly.

_ Don't use it, if you don't have to…_

But to save Naruto… To help Naruto, Itachi would want him to do anything, of course.

Sasuke looked at one of the quotes on his wall, the one Suigetsu had read the other day. _There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it. _

What if you got it, but then realized it was never going to be yours anyway? Not really.

"Itachi… you know, I never meant to…"

But Itachi had already hung up. Of course he had. Sasuke was talking to himself. Great.

He threw his phone away.

"Deidara," he said out loud, staring at his dull white ceiling lamp.

Sasuke leaped to his feet and sauntered over to the window. He brushed aside his translucent gray curtains and leaned his head against the window frame.

"How do I reach that idiot, anyway?"

Talking to himself again.

He opened the window completely. The chilly night wind made him shiver.

"Deidara?"

He felt really silly. His apartment was on the third floor, but still, what if someone saw him—or rather heard him? Oh God. In fact, there was someone looking from the sidewalk.

_ Never mind me. I'm just some lunatic. Carry on with your life now._

As though hearing his thoughts, the person resumed walking their dog.

"Deidara you asshole reaper. I need your help you moron so get your ass over here this instant."

He had nothing to lose, so, might as well let off some steam.

Well.

It worked. Imagine that.

Deidara was now standing in the window frame. It appeared as though he had climbed up here, but Sasuke knew that wasn't the case. He had just, well, _appeared_, somehow. Sasuke moved to the side, making way for him.

"Hello, Sasuke."

"Hey watch the plant," Sasuke said as he watched Deidara slide his svelte body inside his room.

He had the hood on and this time he also carried a scythe. What the…

"A little early for Halloween."

"I'm an actual Reaper, you know, whether you believe me or not." Deidara was all offended. "And I was just doing quite… reaper related things, too. See? I was busy. But I came when you called. Because we're partners." He winked.

"We're not partners. Quite reaper related things? What the fuck does that mean?"

"Well, you know, this and that." He took off his hood and rested his scythe in the corner of Sasuke's room. It was all silver and black, and it almost reached the ceiling. It added a rather gloomy touch to the décor. Sasuke should get one. Deidara sat on the bed and smoothed the duvet on either side of his legs—Sasuke noticed he still wore those fingerless gloves and that black nail polish, which was kind of weird. Why nail polish? To look even more androgynous?

"Like, earlier, just before I came here, I decided to kill someone," Deidara said casually. "He was the worst. He had raped two girls last week, you know. And the cops weren't getting him. So I thought I'd kill him. That's why I'm all geared up." He smiled proudly. A strand of blond hair fell in his eye.

"You killed someone." Sasuke arched an eyebrow. He had his arms crossed against his chest, still leaning against the window frame. The sky was dark outside, and the street lights and clouds hid the stars completely.

"Yes! I'm really content with that decision. I don't do that too often, you know. Some reapers… not to start naming people but," he faked a cough, "Sasori, for instance. Let's just say they get quite over excited. It all gets to their heads and they think they've got all the rights. You should really appreciate me more, Sasuke. You could've gotten stuck with Sasori; I know you don't know him, but he's such an asshole, trust me on this. I'm not like that, you know. I let fate unfold as it does, which is pretty much haphazardly."

"Nice vocabulary."

"I try," he smiled. "But as I was saying, I don't intervene too often. But today… today I felt I had to. He was just… the worst."

"You've mentioned that, yes."

"And now he's in Hell. You know, his worst fear was to get burned. So unoriginal." Deidara gave a dismissive laugh.

Sasuke stared. "Didn't you say that was _your_ worst fear, too?"

"So you do listen when I talk."

"Unfortunately."

He cleared his throat, and bit his lip. "Listen, I'm glad you called for me. We need to talk. Right. Nowadays, every good reaper has a partner, and so I need you—"

"No. You need to shut up about all your reaper crap. Just answer one question. Just one. How do I help Naruto?"

"What's wrong with Naruto?" He tilted his head. "I do hope he's all right. He's so lovely, that boy. Isn't he? I mean, you're good-looking too, of course, but you're more of a cynical, anti-social, kind of… And Naruto is more… you can tell there's something more to him than meets the eye, you know? He's got a good soul. A good heart. You know? And a really nice ass, too. Those jeans he wore Saturday—"

"Oh, wow," Sasuke arched an eyebrow, "a gay, British death god. Now I really feel like I'm in an anime."

Deidara spread his arms. "Hey, I'm open-minded."

"How do I help him?"

"What are the symptoms?"

"He's… not feeling well. Anxious, depressed… It's those side effects you talked about, no?"

"I shouldn't think so. He's probably just in his period."

"Do you actually think that's funny… How old are you, twelve?"

"No I'm serious! Well, not the girls menstruating thing, obviously…" Deidara gestured with his hand as he explained. "It's quite different. Were-creatures have those cycles, you know? Lunar cycles. It's easier—even obligatory, in some cases—for them to transform on the full moon and the day before and after. And they usually feel pretty great around that time. Then, two weeks later or so, they don't feel so great…"

"Were-creatures?"

"You mean he _didn't_ tell you?" Deidara gasped dramatically.

"Tell me what?" Sasuke shivered, and turned around so he could close the window.

"He's a werefox."

His movements stopped. "A _what_?"

"A werefox." Deidara spoke very slowly. "W-E-R-E-F-O-X. Well," he added when Sasuke just stared, "they prefer the term fox spirit. Like, if you want to be on his good side, don't call him a werefox. They don't like the term. They don't get along well with werewolves. So just say fox spirit. But yeah. They're pretty rare."

"A werefox. And there are werewolves."

"Precisely."

"This is nonsense."

"You've been to Hell and back and you won't believe were-creatures exist?"

"So, what, you're going to tell me vampires exist, too?"

"No," Deidara shook his head, "no, they don't."

"Okay. Good. That's good. Um. Let's focus here. How do I help Naruto, whatever he is? How do we fix the… side effects?"

"You don't." Deidara shrugged. "They'll just fade eventually."

Sasuke remembered Itachi's urgent tone on the phone. And then how he had thanked him… Itachi trusted him to fix this.

"I need to make him feel better _now_. Any suggestions? Come on help me out here."

"Mmm… I think he likes you. So you should ask him on a date. And buy him flowers."

"He hates me."

"Of course he doesn't hate you." Deidara smiled sweetly as he smoothed his hair on one side. The pale strands clashed with the pure black of his outfit. "He's just in denial."

Sasuke shook his head clear. Ugh. Why should he care what Deidara thought, anyway?

"Just give me something here. Listen, if you tell me how to help him—and I'm not talking about your lame jokes about periods or flowers—and it works, I'll help you. Whatever it is you want me to do. I'll even go back to Hell with you. How's that? And I'll stay near you this time. I'm not that stupid. I don't want to freeze in a stupid lake. So there. Take it or leave it."

Deidara stood, looking thoughtful. He went to read one of the quotes on the wall, just over Sasuke's bed.

"I like this one," he said. "There is no hell and all the devils are here."

"Yeah, well, I guess I should take that one down."

"Nah you should leave it." Deidara turned around, smiling. "Ironically."

"I don't do things ironically. I'm not a hipster."

Sasuke sat on the windowsill and rested his elbows on his thighs. He sighed. Couldn't Deidara finally get serious?

Apparently, he heard his mental plea.

"All right," Deidara said, "Naruto doesn't have the side effects I spoke of. Nothing serious, anyway, from what you've told me. Some people are scarred afterwards, and they can't even function in their normal lives anymore. People aren't supposed to go to Hell before dying, anyway. But it happens sometimes, with supernatural creatures, I suppose. Naruto might be having nightmares, or he might be a bit anxious, but he's strong. He'll be all right. I still want to help you make him feel better right now, though, if that's what it takes for you to listen to me and help me out in the end. So I do have an idea for you."

Sasuke spread his arms. "I'm all ears."

Deidara went to lean against the computer desk. He looked at an open notebook next to the laptop, where Sasuke had scribbled some ideas.

"What are those?" He read, "April 1st, Los Angeles, Little Tokyo, 2 pm, her favorite restaurant—"

"Deidara. Stop it. Focus. You have an idea?"

"But what did you write all this for? I'm really curious now."

Angrily, Sasuke stomped over to his desk and closed the notebook. He opened a drawer, tossed it in there, and slammed it shut.

"Talk. Now."

They were standing really close. Deidara looked up at him—he was one or two inches shorter—and then lowered his eyelashes a bit.

"Hi there. You know, I usually like light eyes better, but yours are really—"

All right, that was it. He grabbed Deidara's shirt and shoved him into the wall, in between his desk and bed, and he pinned him there, one arm slammed into his neck so he couldn't breathe. "I'm going to kill you," he said.

Deidara reached up with his hand to push Sasuke's arm away. Sasuke loosened his hold just a little, so he could talk.

"You can't kill me I'm already dead."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Well, I can try."

"You have to put yourself in a vulnerable position," Deidara said.

"What?"

"Naruto feels humiliated. He feels like he lost to you."

Sasuke loosened his hold some more. "What are you talking about?"

Pale blue eyes studied him for a moment. "Think, Sasuke. You were both in Hell. You faced your worst fears. You got out of yours by yourself—well, I helped you, but he doesn't know that, does he? He thinks you got out by yourself, anyway. And he needed your help to get down from that tree. He doesn't hate you. He's just embarrassed. Prideful. He might be a fox spirit—they're supposed to be very wise and cunning—but he's still just a seventeen year old guy. And you're what, eighteen? So surely you can understand. How would you feel if the situation was reversed?"

He thought about this for a moment. He let go of Deidara completely, and sighed, raking a hand through his hair.

"I _have_ been in vulnerable situations, though. He _seduced_ me at that club. He even acted all sweet in the cab; maybe he thinks I don't remember, but I do. And then he made it clear that had all been an act to get me to follow him home. Itachi doesn't even know about all that! He got away with it, that little bastard. Didn't he? That wasn't cool at all." Sasuke sighed again. "And I almost died that night. How more vulnerable can I be? I even passed out in his bathroom on Saturday. That was _your_ fault, by the way. But he doesn't know how difficult it was for me to stay awake, to keep my eyes open. He has no idea. How that blood gets all over the place. How it becomes impossible for me not to… Not to switch to the other side. Whatever you call it. Probably thinks I just gave up and passed out like some weak little piece of shit."

_Maybe that's what Itachi thinks, too…_

Deidara raised his hands in surrender. "All right, all right. I see your point. No one's asking you to pass out, or be seduced, or die. I said I had an idea. You didn't let me finish. I think you should ask him to teach you how to swim."

"I know how to fucking swim."

"You're angry. Stop being angry."

Sasuke took a deep breath. He grabbed his computer chair and sat on it, resting his elbows on his knees.

"I mean, I might not be the best swimmer, but… Okay. I might… It might be true that I don't know how to swim properly, but that's only because I was never interested in learning. The foster parents I had before Suigetsu's parents were assholes, to tell you the truth, and they forced me to take some class, and I didn't want to. And then I almost drowned, because that blood… those visions… that stuff. Happened. It was one of the first times. It didn't happen for a while after that, and that's why I stayed away from water. I mean, it was only logical. Why am I telling you all this?"

"I don't know. You shouldn't tell me. You should tell Naruto." Deidara grabbed his phone, and handed it to him.

"I don't think he cares."

"Just try. Come on. It's worth a shot. What have you got to lose? Oh, come on," he said as Sasuke was still hesitating, "you know my idea's great. I've been around a lot longer than you, you know? I know about those things."

"What things?"

"Just… people. I'm good at figuring people out. I know Naruto's passionate about swimming. About teaching it, too… I know he won't say no to you."

"How do you even know? I mean, that he teaches swimming. Were you listening in on Saturday, even before I could see you?"

"Nah." He winked, and pointed toward the ceiling. "There's a lot you can observe from up there. And supernatural creatures are always the most interesting to watch."

"Don't you have better things to do than to watch people living their lives?"

"Not really, no. I'm dead."

"Right."

"Just call him. Now. Do it. Let me know how it goes. And remember we have a deal. If this works out, and he feels much better afterwards, you help me."

"A deal's a deal," Sasuke said simply, finally grabbing his phone.

"Call him. Tell him I said hi. And congratulations on having such a nice ass. Go. Call him."

"As soon as you leave. I can't stop you from spying on me, but at least go do it somewhere else and give me the illusion of privacy."

Deidara gave a military salute. Then Sasuke blinked, as he felt there was something pricking at his eyes, like smoke or something. Even though there was no smoke. And of course now Deidara was gone.

Being dead seemed pretty convenient; seemed faster to get around, anyway.

He called Naruto.

He only had Naruto's number in his contacts list because Itachi had given it to him as an emergency number on Sunday morning, after everything. Itachi had said that if he was ever in trouble, he should call him, and if there was no answer, he should call Naruto.

"Gay jerkbag. Great."

"Do you always answer the phone like that?"

"Only when it's you calling."

"Lucky me."

"You're lucky I even picked up the phone. I guess I had nothing better to do…" He did sound really depressed about that.

"I'd like to talk to you. In person."

"Why?"

"I wanted to ask you something."

"What? Can't you ask me over the phone? Or even by text, maybe? I don't really like talking on the phone. I like texting better. I'm hanging up."

"Wait! Damn it, Naruto. Wait. I, um, wanted to ask you if you could… teach me… how to swim."

"You don't know how to swim."

Was he mocking him?

"Oh right," Naruto added, "because you're afraid."

Yeah. He was mocking him.

"Well you're not really one to judge."

Oh, shit. He shouldn't have said that. But Naruto was so… so… ugh. Still. He shouldn't have said that. Now Naruto would definitely hang up. He would say no for sure.

Well, it wasn't all bad. At least that would mean Deidara had been wrong. He wouldn't particularly enjoy Deidara being right. So he supposed, all in all, it wasn't that—

"I'll do it," Naruto said. "I'll teach you. If you really want to. I was going to the pool anyway, to do some laps. In like half an hour. If you want to meet me there. It's at the sports center near corner of 34th and 2nd Avenue. It's closed right now but I've got the keys and everything. I'll wait for you, if you want."

Sasuke felt nervous all of a sudden. He couldn't find his voice. He had been so sure that Naruto would refuse. He hadn't realized he might actually have to do this.

"It doesn't have to be tonight, you know… I don't know if I can be there in half an hour. I mean, the bus would take, like—"

"So take a cab. You've got two jobs and you quit school. You can afford it."

"I didn't quit school. I'm just taking a break. I'm all done with high school, in case you were insinuating otherwise."

"Well congratulations, Sasuke. Did you want a medal to go with your high school diploma?"

"You really don't let up, do you?"

"Just be there in thirty minutes."

He didn't sound depressed at all. Naruto sounded amused right now, actually. He just sounded like his usual jerk self to Sasuke.

"I'll be there," he said simply, keeping his voice calm and emotionless. Because he knew that would piss him off way more than if he got angry.

"Fine."

Sasuke hung up. Then he stared at his phone. And then he grabbed his jacket.

...

_Author's note:_ Thanks to my reviewers you guys rock. I love reading what you think. I know this chapter wasn't much, I can only tell you to stay tuned for more in the next one... I think you'll like it. Yes. Lol, all right, that's it for now, but if you tell me to update faster I will ^^


	6. Chapter 6

An extra long sexy chapter just for you.

Chapter 6

_Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And venture belongs to the adventurous._

Naruto didn't even turn on all of the lights at the pool. He said he liked it better like this—dim and calm. This way it made it seem different from his work environment. Apparently, he often came here at night to swim and it helped him relax.

Well Sasuke didn't feel relaxed at all. The strong smell of chlorine made him feel sick to his stomach.

"What are you waiting for? Get changed."

Naruto put down his stuff on one of the benches with his towel. He just wore his swimming trunks—the sporty square cut kind. He was skinny but so fit and his skin was that beautiful pale gold shade all over, and he had those really sexy defined hip bones that formed a V shape.

"Sasuke why are you staring at me?"

"I don't have any swimming trunks," he said.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I assume you don't have any of those either?" He motioned at the swimming goggles on his head.

"No."

"Luckily for you I have extras."

Naruto went back to the dressing room. While he was gone Sasuke shifted from one foot to the other uneasily. They had got in with Naruto's key, and then he had punched in the code to deactivate the security system. They were completely alone here. As he looked at the water, he frowned. He crossed his arms over his chest, feeling a bit cold even though it was warm in here. Was he crazy, or was the water turning red all over? He closed his eyes and opened them again, and the water wasn't red. He was crazy.

"There." Naruto came back and threw goggles and swimming trunks at him. "Don't worry, they're clean. And I'll make sure to wash them after you use them, too."

Sasuke debated asking him why he was being so weirdly and unnecessarily mean all the time, but decided that sounded a bit too whiny for his style. So instead he said, "Of course. Homosexuality is contagious." He almost winked at him. But that would be too much. So he refrained.

He started getting changed, and Naruto looked really annoyed and turned around.

Sasuke wasn't self-conscious or anything but he was kind of glad Naruto didn't look. It was just that… because of these past few months he had become really skinny, and it didn't look too good. Before getting his powers back—he still didn't know what the hell they were, but he couldn't deny that his body was slowly getting better thanks to them—he hadn't been eating properly, hadn't been sleeping, hadn't been… Well, hadn't been feeling alive. Not really.

He jumped in the water where it reached up to his chest.

"I thought you were afraid," said Naruto mockingly, before sitting at the edge of the pool. He sat at the beginning of one of the areas designated for swimming laps, separated by those white floating things.

But Sasuke wasn't in the mood for jokes. "I'm not afraid if I can stand on my feet and see the bottom. It's the deeper section that's a bit trickier."

Just looking towards it made him shiver. He crossed his arms and rubbed them for warmth.

"You can't swim like that, you know." Naruto pointed his chin toward him. "Not the best technique."

"That's hilarious. So… are you even going to _try_ to help me, or am I just wasting my time?"

"Do you mind if I swim a few laps first? Then I'm all yours."

"Okay."

Naruto fastened the goggles and then pushed himself in the water gracefully. Sasuke observed his technique. His movements looked really easy and effortless, and he moved so fast. It really was quite something to watch someone that excelled in their sport. He wondered if it was the same for beginners watching him doing rock climbing, and making it all the way to the top of the most difficult walls—like the forty feet high one, with all the overhangs and boulders and the tricky part on top where you had almost no holds.

He suddenly wished he was at the familiar Brooklyn climbing gym instead of here. What was he doing here, anyway?

Right. Making Naruto feel better.

What a joke. Naruto seemed fine to him. He was swimming his tenth lap already. Was he even planning to stop eventually, or would he just swim all night and let Sasuke watch how great at swimming he was?

It kind of looked like fun, actually. And it wasn't like Sasuke _didn't_ know how. He knew how. He'd had that class—granted, it had been just one class, and it had resulted in his almost drowning like a complete idiot. But the almost drowning part had been after learning how to swim. The basic technique, anyway—the crawl swimming stroke, or something. With the face in the water and the arms alternately pushing under the water and the feet kicking. The one that looked stupid if you didn't know how, but that looked really neat and elegant when Naruto did it.

After watching Naruto do ten laps, Sasuke reckoned he should try it. Might as well. He was here now. And he had the stupid uncomfortable swimming trunks on, and those goggles and everything. Okay, so maybe he felt really cold, and terrified, and his chest hurt because of the whole anxiety thing. Suigetsu had said he should take prescribed medication for his anxiety. But Sasuke didn't think they'd have any reaper-repellent ones. So…

_Okay. Let's do this. It's just water, anyway. No big deal. Water and chlorine._ More chlorine than water, according to the smell. Well, on the plus side, it couldn't be blood if it smelled so strongly of chlorine, right? It wouldn't make any sense. So surely he wouldn't have any weird visions. It had only happened once, and he had developed an irrational fear because of it. But it was stupid, and he was mature enough to acknowledge that.

So he went to place himself two rows away from where Naruto was swimming. And he kicked himself off the floor and started swimming, just like that.

It wasn't that difficult, really. He had learned it once and his body still remembered. It wasn't nearly as graceful—or fast—as Naruto's technique, but it didn't matter. He was just trying to overcome his fear. He didn't need Naruto for that. He could do it by himself. Easy.

He swam two, then three laps. Every time he got to the deepest part of the water he felt scared. The fear was there, and it was eating his insides, and he hated feeling weak and vulnerable like this, but he couldn't help it.

But nothing happened. He couldn't see much anyway. It was pretty dark. Even if his brain decided to hallucinate the water turning red, it probably wouldn't make much of a difference. After he finished his third lap he paused, holding the edge of the pool to rest for a bit. His cardio was pretty good; he wasn't physically tired. It was all in his head.

He realized he couldn't see Naruto anymore. At the same time, hands grabbed his ankles and pulled, hard. He couldn't even make a noise of surprise; he was already in the water. His goggles weren't even on right now, so he opened his eyes and they burned. Also he swallowed water. When he swam back up he coughed violently and of course Naruto was just right next to him, laughing.

"You should've seen your face!"

Sasuke hated him right now.

But oh, look at that, he was laughing—quite heartedly at that, too—so he supposed there was progress. A depressed person didn't laugh much, right?

"I'm glad one of us is having fun," Sasuke said when he managed to breathe again. His lungs still burned, though. So did his eyes.

Ass.

His heart was beating quite fast, too. Naruto had scared him, obviously, but he wouldn't admit it.

"Your technique was really bad," Naruto said, still smiling. "Like, I'm sorry, but it was really bad. Worst than some of my kids. And they're not very good. I mean, they're getting better, obviously, cause I'm their teacher, but—"

"You don't sound sorry. And what are you talking about? You weren't even looking. You were swimming…"

"Nah." Naruto shook his head. Sasuke was holding on to the edge of the pool again, but Naruto was just treading water calmly. He almost didn't need to make any movements at all. "I stopped and watched you as soon as you started swimming. That's what I do when I teach. I can swim if my kids are watching me—so they can look at the technique. But when they're swimming, I have to watch them to make sure they're okay."

"I'm not a kid."

"I know." His voice softened. He moved away to give Sasuke his space to swim. "Try again. Don't kick so much with your legs. And keep your arms closer to your body. Go over there and back, and then I'll give you my feedback."

"Great. Can't wait."

"Is that sarcasm?"

"No."

"How do I know that's not sarcasm again?"

"You don't."

He kicked himself off the edge and started swimming. He felt really annoyed and self-conscious now, like he could feel Naruto's eyes watching his every movement. He did try to kick less and keep his arms closer and all that. He wasn't too sure if it was working. But he tried, anyway. He tried to go slowly, too. No need to rush it.

Like with rock climbing, when kids tried to go too fast to show off to the others, it always got messy, and their technique sucked, and they got stuck quickly enough.

It was always better to go slow at first.

As usual Sasuke's chest tightened when he got to the deepest part of the water again. His heart started beating faster. And he felt… cold. He tried to just focus on swimming, on reaching the other side. He was almost there, anyway. Nothing would happen.

He saw red—he didn't want to say blood, because he knew it wasn't real. He was almost expecting it by now. It was just his stupid brain playing tricks again. No big deal. There was no red, it was all in his head, and if he could just ignore it, and be stronger than that, then maybe—

Hands closed in on his ankles again. But this time it wasn't Naruto, and they pulled him deeper, much deeper, all the way down, until his ears hurt and felt like they were going to burst. The hands didn't even feel like skin. They were colder than ice, and they had claws. Sasuke was so scared that he was becoming paralyzed. He took off the stupid goggles because he felt like he couldn't see anything. When he looked down he saw that the hands were black. Like black shadows trying to grab at him and pull him down even more. Instead of the bottom of the pool he saw a large circle, thick and dark red. But somehow as he looked it was like he could see through it—like it became translucent.

And he saw a hundred more of those black shadowy creatures, all huddled together in a world of ice and snow, waiting for him. And beyond them was dark smoke rising in the starless sky, curling up like a snake. Hell. The shadows were grabbing at him, trying to pull him down there. His feet were almost touching the red circle. He would go through to the other side, and this time his body wouldn't stay behind. What if there was no going back? What did they want with him this time? What would they do to him?

He could hear their moans, inhuman and distorted. It made Sasuke's blood run cold. Why couldn't he free himself from their grasp? Why couldn't he be stronger? Deidara had dismissed them so easily.

Then he felt a hand—a warm touch, unlike those cold black shadows—on his arm, and he was being pulled back up.

Naruto helped him out of the water, and they climbed out the pool together. Sasuke was crawling away from the water, and he coughed and coughed until his lungs hurt so much that he thought he would die. He curled up on himself and he couldn't stop trembling. He put a hand in his hair, hiding his face with his arm.

Sitting next to him, Naruto was watching him, confused.

"What the fuck happened? You can't have gotten to the bottom of the pool that quickly. That's impossible. It's like something pulled you down. But I didn't see anything."

Sasuke couldn't move right now, let alone talk. He just couldn't stop trembling, his heart thumping inside his chest like crazy. He could still hear those moans in his head.

Those creatures, whatever they were. They were in pain. They were… angry. Frustrated. Desperate. Mad.

Naruto touched his neck and Sasuke winced at first, because he wasn't expecting it. But then he found himself wishing that Naruto would keep his hand there, because it was warm, and it felt nice.

"Relax. I just wanted to check something… Your heart's beating really fast. Are you having a panic attack, or something? Sasuke… you need to calm down."

"N-No shit." His teeth started chattering. He tried to stop it but it was uncontrollable.

"Do you want me to call an ambulance or something?"

"No! No… I hate stupid hospitals."

"Yeah, I get it. Me too." He slid his hand to Sasuke's shoulder, and squeezed it, like he was awkwardly trying to comfort him or something. But then he seemed to think better of it and pulled his hand away.

Sasuke wished he had kept his hand there.

"You're really cold. Do you want to go to the showers?"

"Y-Yeah, okay."

"Can you stand?"

"Yeah." He wasn't sure, though. But he tried. He turned around and pushed himself off that rough indoor pool floor. He was pretty sure he scraped his knee on that stupid floor just now. But that was the least of his worries. He managed to stand on his shaky legs, and he followed Naruto to the shower room.

He didn't look back at that stupid pool. That had been enough for today. At least he had tried…

Well, he had put himself in a vulnerable situation, that was for sure. Deidara would be proud. Sasuke stood under one of the showers, turning the tap for the hot water at maximum. Naruto was looking at him worriedly.

"That's too hot, Sasuke, your skin's getting all red."

"I don't care. I'm fucking cold."

"That's enough. Stop it. Get out of there."

Naruto bent over and turned off the water. He threw a towel at Sasuke and they went to the dressing room. But they didn't get changed yet. They just sat. Naruto hadn't turned on the lights here, either. He'd just flicked on the ones in the shower room. They could still see, but it was dark. And really quiet. They just heard some drops of water still leaking from the tap in the next room.

"You're really skinny," Naruto said.

Sasuke tried to control his trembling, so it wouldn't show through his voice. "Must be my demon genes. Maybe all those professional runway models have demon genes, too. Who knows?"

"Seriously though. I can see your ribs. It's kind of gross."

Well that was harsh. Sasuke clutched the towel tighter around himself, like that would make a difference.

"Was it always like that?" Naruto asked. "Or just recently?"

"Just recently. But I was getting better…"

"You'll get better," Naruto said firmly.

"You don't know that."

"Do you want to come to the coffee shop with me?"

"What?"

"The coffee shop I work at. They open 24/7. I've got the night shift tonight. But there's hardly ever anyone. I'll make you a latte. I make the best lattes. Seriously. And I'll make you eat something."

"Naruto, I'm not actually anorexic. You know that, right? You don't have to _make_ _me_ eat something."

"Well I want to. You're coming with me. The end."

"Okay… it's my day off tomorrow anyway. But… don't you have school?"

Naruto waved a dismissive hand. Then he went to one of the stalls to get changed, and pulled the curtain. "It's okay. I'll sleep through it tomorrow morning. No big deal. My teachers like me better when I'm asleep, anyway. Apparently my friends throw stuff at me and I don't even wake up, and they think it's hilarious."

"Charming." Sasuke went to another stall to get changed, too. "What about tomorrow afternoon? Will you stay awake for your classes, or?"

"Actually I think me and my friends are skipping for band practice."

"You're in a band?"

Sasuke had thrown on his skinny jeans and thin long sleeve shirt, and now he was zipping up his jacket.

"Yeah." Naruto was done, too. He got out of the stall and he finished lacing his converse shoes. "But we just do covers so far."

"Like old school Linkin Park?" Sasuke smiled. He put on his boots and they were ready.

"That wasn't cool of you guys to barge in like that."

"Oh, stop it. You were good anyway. No need to be all shy about it."

They walked out of the sports center side by side, the mostly empty corridors echoing with their steps. Some of the gyms were open at night for people who wanted to work on the machines, but the pool area was supposed to be closed, so Naruto locked up behind them.

"I'd like to hear your band one day," Sasuke added.

"Maybe one day."

Naruto led them outside and they hit the sidewalk. The night was chilly and kind of depressing; moonless, and cloudy. It had been raining, too. As a car drove by too close to the sidewalk, Sasuke got muddy water all over his boots. Damn it.

Stupid car driver being inconsiderate.

"What's it called?" he asked. "The coffee shop."

"Espress. Lame name, I know."

"It's okay. The tattoo shop I work at is called Love Needles, so…"

"You work at a tattoo shop?"

Sasuke was amused. "You really don't know anything about me, do you?"

"Well, you never tell me."

"You never ask," he replied.

"You don't know anything about me either," Naruto countered without looking at him. He walked quite fast, but Sasuke kept up without a problem. He liked walking fast, actually.

"I know you love Itachi more than anything. It's pretty obvious. And I know you're very prideful, and you're someone that always tries really hard to be strong." It was sort of just coming out. Sasuke didn't even have to think before saying it. "You don't let people in easily. You're afraid to trust people, maybe. You're afraid to trust me."

"Well, I—"

"And I know you're a were—I mean, a fox spirit."

Naruto glared at him. "You were gonna say werefox."

"No."

"Liar."

"Well it's Deidara's fault. He kept going on about werefoxes, and werewolves, and stuff."

"So he told you. I figured he might know about that."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He kept calling me little fox."

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that. I thought he was just giving you a nickname, or something."

"Mom said we're very rare, and that we might be the longest line of fox spirits in the world. We have some really old journals that date back to the eleventh century."

"That's impressive."

"Yeah," Naruto smiled, "one of my ancestors fought in the Crusades. Not with the Europeans. He was trying to defend Jerusalem."

"So you read all the journals?"

He shrugged. "Sometimes I didn't feel like it. Not all my ancestors were very good writers. But my mother made me read them. You know how mothers are when they really want you to do something…" Then he looked at Sasuke and made a face. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he said. "I'm not going to cry. Don't worry. I'm pretty much over it by now. It's not all bad. I've got Suigetsu. And I've got Suigetsu's parents. They were good foster parents—by far the best ones I've had. Even though now they think I'm really weird."

"Why?"

Sasuke scratched his hair. Another car drove by, but this time he stepped to the side so he wouldn't get splashed. He almost bumped in Naruto in the process, though.

"Sorry," he said quickly, clearing his throat. "Uh, yeah, they think I'm weird because I decided not to go to college, basically."

"I don't think that's weird. College isn't for everyone. Did they even go?"

"Suigetsu's mom, yes. But his dad didn't go."

"So there."

"I think they're a bit weirded out by the gay stuff, too."

"Really? Why?"

"I don't know. You tell me. You seem weirded out by it too."

"I'm not. Not really…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Naruto didn't answer that.

Well, this conversation was getting nowhere.

They reached Lexington Avenue, with all its tall, trendy buildings and Sasuke tried to find this 'Espress' place. As he followed Naruto he saw that it was actually really small, located on the ground floor of a glass building with 'for lease' signs in some of the upper windows.

Inside it smelled strongly of coffee. They didn't seem to have much food except for pastries in little glass displays. The place was decorated in earthy tones of beige and browns, and it was cozy enough. Some dark brown and pale green couches furnished one corner. Also they had a few plants near the entrance, but they looked like they hadn't been watered in a while. It was really bothering Sasuke, but he tried not to be too obsessive compulsive about it.

Other than that, the stuff covering the walls and stacking the shelves seemed to be oriental-inspired. Wall scrolls, fake cherry blossom flowers in vases, hand made fans—they looked hand made, anyway—and a small Buddha statue and a Chinese calendar. Sasuke also saw a clear bowl full of marbles on the counter.

Some people had eclectic taste.

"Hey Naruto," said the guy standing behind the counter. His laptop sat next to the cash register, and he was clearly doing something non-work related. As they approached Sasuke craned his neck and recognized the game Star Craft. Heart of the Swarm. Or as Suigetsu preferred to say, 'Heart of the Swoaaaarm' He said you had to say it with the Zerg accent.

"Hey," Naruto said back, before lazily introducing them. "Shikamaru. Sasuke."

"Oh, so this is the guy you told me about." Shikamaru nodded in understanding, tucking his hair behind his ears. He had very messy and wavy shoulder-length hair, and a few piercings in his ears.

"Your brother's biological brother," Shikamaru added.

"Ew," Naruto said, grabbing a nearby chair and sitting on it sideways, one arm wrapped around the back. "When you say it like that it sounds like Sasuke and I are brothers."

"Why would that be a bad thing?" Shikamaru asked. He yawned, and scratched the back of his neck. "Man, I'm tired. I hate this job sometimes."

He was getting paid to play Star Craft instead of working. It didn't seem that bad, really.

"I don't know," Naruto shrugged, "but it would definitely be weird being related to Sasuke."

"He doesn't really like me much," Sasuke explained.

"Oh, well, Naruto can be a bit wild," Shikamaru said as he shut down his laptop and unplugged the charger. "You know, I mean like a wild animal. You have to tame him first."

That reminded Sasuke of something. Orochimaru's t-shirt. And he wanted to laugh. Shit… Now it all made sense. But he couldn't really talk about that in front of Naruto's colleague.

"Shut up and make me a coffee," Naruto said.

"Make it yourself."

Naruto checked his phone. "Eleven fifty. Ten minutes before my shift. So I'm like a customer." He looked around the store. "And I'm your only customer, so you should be nicer." He balanced the chair on its back legs, holding the table with one hand. "And a latte for Sasuke. No, wait, I'll do it myself. My lattes are better than yours."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Make up your damn mind."

Naruto jumped to his feet and the chair fell. "Oops," he said.

He went to make the coffee, manning the espresso machine. Shikamaru shoved his laptop in a worn leather strap bag and hoisted in on his shoulder.

"Well, good night boys, have fun. It was nice meeting you, Sasuke, I guess… You're just like Itachi though. You don't talk much. Oh well, that's okay." He pushed the glass door with one hand, and the chilly night wind stormed in. "Naruto talks too much, so maybe you guys can balance each other out."

And he left. Sasuke picked up the chair Naruto had left on the floor and then he just stared at him, arching an eyebrow.

"So. You talk too much?"

"I don't know why he said that."

"You don't talk much to me."

"Maybe because I don't want to."

"Why'd you bring me here, then?"

Silence filled the room. Well, not exactly; top forty radio music filled the room, with its annoying, obnoxious, repetitive auto-tuned… He wasn't even sure those could be called lyrics.

Naruto spun on his heel to turn up the volume of the sound system. "I love that song," he said as a new one started playing.

"You've got to be kidding."

Big blue eyes stared at him in disbelief. "It's so good. You don't like it? Pharrell even got nominated at the Oscars for that song."

"I know," Sasuke said, "Suigetsu made me watch the whole damn thing. And okay," he amended, "that one's not so bad, I guess. But most pop songs are crap."

"They wouldn't be 'popular' songs if they were crap, Sasuke. They're good for dancing in clubs, at least most of them are."

"Are you serious? They're terrible for dancing. I've got such good music I could make you listen to. You'd change your mind. I'm sure of it. You'd never want to listen to pop stuff again."

"We'll have to listen to your music some time, then."

Naruto brought the two large white mugs to the corner of the shop so they could sit on those couches. The wooden blinds were shut, so it made for a surprisingly intimate setting.

They sat in front of each other, setting their mugs down on the pale wood table. Sasuke didn't want to try it yet. He didn't want to burn his tongue.

He glanced around the room once more. He noticed they didn't even have a door for the back store, just bright turquoise beaded curtains. Naruto followed his glance.

"The owner, he's kind of strange. He's really obsessed with Japan. In fact, he's there right now, on vacation. He only dates Japanese girls. It's a very strict rule of his. And he says when he goes there he has to stay at least one month, otherwise it's pointless."

Sasuke tilted his head. "Why?"

"He says Japanese girls are really shy, so it takes time before they let you sleep with them. But when they do, it's really worth it. His words, not mine."

"Huh." Well, that didn't really explain the Chinese calendar, or the Buddha statue. But whatever.

Naruto had taken off his jacket before, and he just wore a small v-neck white tee over his gray jeans.

"Don't you have a uniform?"

"Yeah but I don't feel like wearing it," Naruto shrugged.

Sasuke felt a bit overdressed, so he took off his jacket, too, and tossed it aside on the couch. He crossed his arms, then uncrossed them. He didn't know what to do with his stupid hands. Why did he feel so self-conscious around Naruto?

_I can see your ribs. It's kind of gross._

Yeah, well, maybe that was it.

And great. Now he was cold.

Naruto seemed to notice. "The heating doesn't really work, so you can keep your jacket if you want. Some dude was supposed to come and fix it, but he never showed."

"I'm fine," Sasuke said.

_At least I know it's not the Hellish hallucinations type of cold, it's just the shitty_ _building and defective heating type of cold._

"So do you ever have customers, or—?"

"Sometimes. Hey, Sasuke, I wanted to ask you something. Who's Temari?"

Immediately Naruto's face became a bit flushed. He tried to act all casual, and he picked up his coffee to take a few sips, but he was clearly embarrassed for letting that slip.

"How do you even know about her? Did you check my phone or something?"

"No, um, it was Itachi. He checked your phone. He was wondering if she was your girlfriend."

"Liar. Itachi wouldn't do that. You checked my phone. When? Saturday?"

"I, um… it just sort of… fell out of your pocket, and—"

Sasuke leaned forward on the couch without really realizing it. Naruto had a guilty look on his face.

"You checked my phone when I was passed out? What the fuck."

"So is she a girl you're dating, or something?"

"You moron. You already know I'm gay."

"Well, exactly." Naruto took another sip of latte. He had some white on his lips, but then he licked them clean. "It's not nice to lead her on, Sasuke."

"She's an agent. Or so she says, anyway. She was just interested in some of my ideas, so I'm meeting her soon for lunch."

"What ideas?"

"For a story. A screenplay."

Naruto's eyes seemed to light up. But Sasuke thought maybe he was just imagining things.

"You're a writer? That's so cool."

"Well, no, I'm not—" Sasuke interrupted himself as some customers walked in.

He had almost forgotten where they were. Naruto got to his feet and dragged himself to the front counter so he could make them some to-go coffees. Sasuke grabbed his mug and tried his latte carefully while he waited. Hey, it wasn't bad. He caught himself feeling kind of annoyed with the customers. Almost as if he had been enjoying his conversation with Naruto.

Those people also grabbed some cookies and brownies to go, and then they left. While he was at it, Naruto put some more cookies in a plate and brought it to their table in the corner.

"I made those myself, so you better at least try one."

"Okay," said Sasuke, amused. "Do you get all the profits, at least, if you make them yourself?"

Naruto shrugged. "No. I don't care about that. And they sell much better than those other things we get in frozen batches."

"Yeah, no shit."

"So you're _not_ a writer, then?" Naruto asked, grabbing a cookie.

"Well, that's not something you can get money for—not enough to make a living anyway. Except for rare cases. Everyone knows that. It's not… Like, I'm not one of those idiots who think they'll write _that_ novel in their mid-thirties or early forties, and sell millions and then write a gajillion stupid sequels and get rich while Hollywood makes movies out of it with teenagers who can't act." Sasuke caught his breath. Wow, that was a lot of words.

Naruto let out a brief laugh. "Well, you've clearly thought about it."

Sasuke grabbed a cookie and took a bite to be polite, but he was surprised. This was really good. Maple and nuts, with some dark chocolate…

"Hey, you like it." Naruto smiled.

Sasuke didn't deny it.

"Anyway," he said, "yes, to answer your question, I've thought about it. And I realized I'd really like it if one of my stories got turned into a movie. But I'd have to have full control over everything, you know? Well, maybe not everything, but," he shrugged, "at least I want to write it. Every scene description, every dialogue. That's why I got into screenwriting."

"That's so cool. I've always admired people who can write. I used to read a lot. I'm in a phase where I don't read much lately, but I used to read all the books in my dad's collection. And he bought new ones all the time, too. Maybe that's why I don't read anymore. He's not around to buy them. But I guess I'm just giving myself excuses. Anyway… I saw you looking at my books when you came over."

"So those weren't Itachi's?"

"What? No. Itachi just reads boring stuff. Marketing stuff. Finance, PR… And sometimes he reads biographies…" Naruto paused, and drank some coffee. Then he looked up at Sasuke again. He really had a glint in those blue eyes that hadn't been there before. Like maybe he was enjoying this, too. This was unexpected.

"So what do you write about?"

"No. No way. I'm not telling you that. Even Suigetsu doesn't know that. It's my turn to ask questions, anyway."

Naruto played with his necklace, the one he always kept hidden under his shirt.

"What do you want to know?"

"You stole my friend's clothes." Sasuke wanted to laugh. Naruto's eyes got all wide and guilty, like a deer caught in headlights. "Orochimaru's clothes. He's one of the bartenders at _Laid-Back_. But you already knew that. Don't get me wrong, those looked really good on you. But you should probably still return them."

Naruto swallowed. "I will."

"Okay. Good."

"I had no choice, okay?" Naruto said defensively, shifting in his seat. "They were the only clothes I found."

"After you sneaked in and transformed back."

"Yeah…" Naruto's cheeks and ears were turning red. He scratched his hair, then flipped his bangs to the side. Some blond strands just fell right back in his eyes.

"I knew there was some kind of dog following me!"

"M'not a dog," Naruto muttered.

Sasuke just smiled.

Some more customers walked in. Damn it. Annoying people. Intruding like that.

And they were staying, too. At least, they were decent enough to sit at the opposite side of the coffee shop, following the well known social rule that you should always sit as far away as possible from other people in a public place.

Right? Sasuke really hated it when people sat close to him for no reason when there were plenty other free seats. Annoying.

Naruto gave them their cappuccinos, and then he came back to sit with Sasuke. But his eyes lingered on the customers. Sasuke followed his gaze. One girl, one boy; both looked young. They looked alike, actually. Dark hair, light eyes, fair skin. Maybe they were siblings. The girl kept glancing at Naruto across the room, and then quickly and shyly looking away. Wow. Subtle.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked when Naruto seemed a bit uneasy.

"I'm getting a strange vibe from them," he whispered so they wouldn't hear. "I don't know. They have weird… eyes."

"Okay…"

"Whatever. It's not important."

But clearly it was bothering him, because he became a lot less talkative after that. Sasuke was kind of disappointed. Great, now _he_ felt depressed.

He wondered why. Seriously, he thought as he drank his latte, why was he depressed all of a sudden?

Maybe because Naruto kept looking at that girl. And she kept looking at Naruto, before going back to her hushed conversation with her twin or whoever that boy was.

Nah. Couldn't be that. He was probably just tired.

"So," he cleared his throat, "you never answered my question earlier."

"What question?"

"Why did you bring me here?"

"I didn't want to leave you alone after what happened at the pool." Naruto said, and his voice was surprisingly soft.

"I left you alone on Saturday night."

Naruto settled back in his couch, and sighed. "Yeah, but, I didn't exactly give you a choice. I just locked myself up in my bedroom. I thought I wanted to be alone, but that was bullshit. I just ended up crying all night," Naruto admitted, "and I couldn't sleep anyway."

Well, Sasuke didn't really know what to say after that.

He saw that Naruto was playing with his necklace again. It seemed to be some nervous thing he did. He was glancing toward that girl again.

Sasuke felt really annoyed. Plus a One Direction song was on the radio, so that didn't help.

"She keeps staring at me," Naruto whispered, turning around.

"Well maybe if you stop staring at her she'll stop staring at you."

"You're right…"

"Can I see?"

"What?"

"Your necklace."

"Oh, that." He took it out of his shirt. It had three pendants; a black feather, a silver wing, and a blue tear shaped gem thingy.

"It's cute."

"Thanks. It was my mom's. I found it in some old box of stuff she kept. I never really saw her wearing any jewelry. Wasn't really her thing. But she kept this one for some reason. Maybe my dad gave it to her when they were younger, or something. So I thought I'd start wearing it." He shrugged, and slid it back under his shirt.

"It looks good on you."

"Thanks." Naruto brought up his ankle on his knee, and he dropped a hand on his converse shoe, fiddling with the worn laces. "You know," he said, looking up, "you're kinda nice. When you want to be."

"Well, I can't exactly be mean when you're telling me about your dead mom's necklace, can I? Even half-demons have a conscience, you know."

He wondered for a moment if he had been pushing his luck. But Naruto laughed.

"I guess."

"And I could tell you the same thing, by the way."

Naruto seemed really thoughtful for a moment, and then he parted his lips to say something—and Sasuke could tell it would be important—but then that girl ruined everything.

_Curse you and your bad timing, strange eyed girl._

She had a shy smile plastered on her annoyingly pretty face, and long dark hair with bangs, and she was thin but with enormous breasts. The kind of girl a straight guy would totally go for. Any straight guy. Or even a gay guy, if he was drunk and felt like experimenting.

Not Sasuke, though. No matter how drunk. Because he loathed her and her bad timing.

"Hi! I'm Hinata."

_Nobody cares._

"Hey," Naruto said kindly. "What's up?"

Hinata took out something from her enormous shiny black purse. Looked like a CV. Her boy alter-ego was waiting for her at the door. He looked like he was fascinated by the view on Lexington Avenue. Cars and buildings. Wonderful stuff.

"I was just wondering if you're looking for people to work here. I'm looking for a part-time job."

"Well, not really, to tell you the truth. Things are pretty quiet, as you can see." Hinata looked really disappointed. So Naruto hurriedly took the CV she was handing him. "But I can still take this, you know, just in case people suddenly stop going to Starbucks."

She brightened up. "Okay," she said, "well, call me if anything comes up. Or, you know," she blushed, "you can call me, if you want to."

_Oh, wow. More subtlety from our friend Hinata._

"Bye, then," she waved a hand awkwardly and she rushed over to her male look-alike. And they left.

Naruto dropped the CV on the table and shrugged. "She didn't even laugh at my Starbucks joke."

"So are you going to call her?"

Naruto lifted his chin. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing," he said evenly.

There was a silence.

"What were you going to tell me? Just before she came over."

"I, um, I forgot."

He hadn't forgotten. He just didn't want to say it now. Damn it.

What was it? Sasuke really wanted to know. He would have to ask Deidara if his demon powers might possibly involve mind reading. That would be convenient.

Probably not, eh? Vampires could read minds in some versions. Why couldn't he be a vampire instead?

Naruto was probably into that, too. Sasuke had seen the Vampire Chronicles series in his living room among the other books, and Naruto had said that he read all of his dad's collection, so—

"It probably wasn't important," Naruto said dismissively.

Sasuke grabbed his jacket and got up, stretching his legs.

"I should probably go, and let you work, I guess."

"Oh, yeah, cause I've got so much work to do."

"You should really water those plants."

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

Naruto followed him to the door and watched him put on his jacket. "I, um… Thank you. For tonight."

"What for? Almost dying? Again." Really though…

"I'm not stupid. I know what you were trying to do."

"Oh. I wasn't really—"

"I know Itachi called you."

"Oh." Busted.

"So… thank you."

"Well did it work?"

"Yeah, kinda, I guess. If the roles had been reversed back _there_, I could've done the same for you, I think."

Sasuke swallowed hard, and he felt all tense all of a sudden. He could tell that for Naruto it was the same. It wasn't easy for them to talk about it. But Naruto was trying, which was something.

"Yeah," Sasuke said in a weak voice.

"So, um, good night, then."

And Naruto offered his hand.

"A handshake, really? What was this, a job interview? I thought you told that poor girl there was no opening."

Naruto gave a nervous laugh. He still held his hand up awkwardly.

"Well, I don't really know what else to…"

"Me neither," Sasuke admitted, "I'm not really good with those things."

"No, you're really not," Naruto said, "remember last time? You kissed me."

"It was very out of character. I'm sorry about that. I don't usually kiss people that don't want to be kissed by me. So… I don't suppose you'd want to do that again. Handshake it is, then."

Sasuke shook his hand. But it wasn't much of a handshake. Their hands sort of just… touched. And then their fingers laced together.

Naruto gave another one of those short, nervous laughs. Sasuke thought Naruto's voice was the sexiest.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked, and their eyes met. Those blue eyes.

"I don't know. What are _you_ doing?"

Sasuke felt extremely nervous, and excited, and… sort of warm and prickly all over. Like electricity was going through his body. It was so intense that he forgot to breathe for a moment.

"I don't know," Naruto whispered.

They were still holding hands. With his other hand Naruto pushed Sasuke's chest, and made him step back until he came to a stop. Naruto pressed him against those wooden blinds that covered the windows, and there was a rattling sound. Then Naruto kissed him. His lips were so hesitant, but desperate. And it was the sweetest thing. Sasuke felt desire rising up through him like an unstoppable fire and he couldn't stop himself from moaning and grabbing Naruto and kissing him hard and deep.

Sasuke's arms curled around Naruto's thin waist, flushing their bodies together. Naruto leaned into it and kissed back and it was amazing. Naruto was kissing him like this was the thing he wanted most in the world. Sasuke didn't even want to think. He had never expected…

Naruto leaned his hips into him, and Sasuke tilted his head back. "Fuck…"

And Naruto kissed his neck. He unzipped his jacket. Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hair and brought him into another rough kiss. Naruto threw his arms around his neck and pressed himself even closer, if possible…

Shit.

Sasuke smiled through the kiss and ran his hands all over Naruto's body as their tongues touched heatedly. His hand crawled up under Naruto's shirt and felt his hot skin, so soft… He slid his hand from the hem of his low rise jeans and all the way up his back. The curve of his spine… Damn.

Naruto was a good kisser… He knew when to pull back and let him breathe and he knew when to come back for more. Sasuke was so turned on right now. It had been a while since…

"Oh my God…"

"I know right?" Naruto whispered back before kissing him again. "Did you say out of character?" he laughed softly between kisses.

And suddenly the door opened.

They both stopped and pulled away from each other. Naruto looked at the customer with those comical, wide shocked eyes he did.

_Well fuck, _Sasuke thought as he looked at the forty-something trench coat wearing man. _And the award for worst timing ever goes to... Sorry Hinata, the winner is trench coat guy. _

"We're closed!" Naruto exclaimed.

"But the sign says 24/7…" the man whined.

"We're closed!" Naruto said loudly. "Just go to Starbucks like everybody else! Leave! _Now_!"

Naruto grabbed the glass door, and as soon as the man stepped out, he slammed it shut, almost right in the man's face. With shaky hands he reached in his pocket and took out his keys, before locking the door.

He looked at Sasuke.

Sasuke couldn't stop laughing.

After only a short moment of hesitation Naruto started laughing, too. He couldn't stop either, and he came closer and fell into Sasuke's arms again. They sort of just held each other for a moment, and laughed, and it felt amazing. Sasuke forgot about everything else.

And then they kissed again, and it was softer, but still deep and powerful, like they wanted more, always more. Sasuke realized his heart was beating so fast. Or was it Naruto's? Probably both… Shit, this was intense.

"I thought you hated me," he whispered in Naruto's ear.

Naruto kissed his neck. "I thought I hated you."

Sasuke tangled his fingers through Naruto's hair, making it all messy. "You said I was gross."

"You're not."

Naruto pressed himself closer and held him so tight for a moment, like he was something precious and never to be lost. But then he suddenly pulled away. His hand lingered at Sasuke's hip for a moment, fiddling with his belt loop. But then he pulled away completely. Something had happened just now. A shadow had crossed his eyes.

Sasuke felt a pang in his chest. "What is it? What are you thinking?"

"Nothing." He shook his head. He crossed his arms against his chest. He averted his gaze. Damn it. He was putting walls around himself again. But why?  
>"Did I do something wrong?"<p>

"No."

"Naruto, please…" He didn't like to beg. But he didn't care about acting all cool and composed. Not right now. Not after this.

"I can't… this shouldn't have… We shouldn't have… I mean, I can't. I'm sorry. Um… I can't explain it."

"You can't explain it?"

"No."

"So you just want me to leave."

He made a face. "I'm sorry."

Wow. Okay. That was… rough.

"But the sign says 24/7," Sasuke tried.

But he merely got a smile.

"And I was never a big Starbucks fan."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop saying you're sorry. If you want me to leave, I'll leave. But I _am_ pissed, okay? Just so you know. You can't just do that to a guy. Without explaining."

"I don't want to talk about it," he said stubbornly.

"Fine."

"Good."

Sasuke felt a pang in his chest, and it hurt, and it was so frustrating. Maybe Naruto was just one of those guys who had weird gay fantasies sometimes but would never want to actually go through with it. And he would just date girls and be unhappy and ignore everything else for the rest of his life.

He said lame stuff when Sasuke walked out the door. "Be careful, okay? Take care. Sleep well."

Like that would make up for it.

It didn't.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_Fear is the mind-killer. When it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain._

Sasuke had asked Temari if they could meet on Wednesday, since he had the day off. They had planned to go for lunch, but now she texted him that she would like them to meet at her apartment instead. Which was a bit odd, but whatever.

She lived on the Upper East Side, which was always impressive. Sasuke didn't go there all that often. He rarely had thousands of dollars to spend on designer clothes or shoes.

He was ready early, so he used the opportunity to take a walk around Central Park. It wasn't that bad this time of year. Even though it was still cold outside, some green was finally returning to the trees. The fresh wind was nice today, actually. Not too cold, for once. And the sky was a nice, clear blue. Sasuke walked with his hands in his pockets, keeping a fast pace.

Last night he hadn't been able to sleep much, after the whole Naruto incident—which he had been trying really hard not to think about, but when you lay awake at night trying hard _not_ to think of something, well…

He sighed. He felt so tired, and drained. He had a headache, actually, which was rather annoying. Maybe he had just caught a stupid cold, or something like that.

It had taken him a little while to choose his outfit. Silly of him, really; this 'agent' woman probably couldn't care less. Well, he had gone with dark green skinny jeans, black and white t-shirt and soft zip up black sweater. And a scarf. He looked like a hipster, probably. But maybe that was good. There were lots of hipsters in the cinema industry, right? Maybe that would make a good impression.

Temari didn't live too far from Central Park—meaning she lived somewhere really, really fancy—so it didn't take him that long to walk there. The building was so high that he almost hurt his neck trying to look at the top of it. Temari lived on the fifteenth floor. Like, she had the whole floor to herself.

As he was let in the ridiculously spacious and bright lobby, some nicely dressed man with an ear piece acknowledged him and showed him toward the right elevator. Apparently Temari had already made him aware that she was waiting for a visitor. Sasuke felt underdressed just being in this building.

He didn't usually take elevators. But she lived on the fifteenth floor, so.

When she opened her door, she welcomed him with open arms, all smiles.

"It's so nice to see you again, Sasuke. Come in."

She had a British accent. It reminded him of Deidara. Unwanted thoughts.

Temari looked quite different from that time at the gym. She had been in another instructor's class, but she had left early, and she ended up talking with Sasuke at the reception desk while he was himself in between two classes. She just asked him for information, and eventually, somehow, the conversation had drifted and they'd been talking about the actors and directors she was working with these days. And somehow she had gotten Sasuke to open up a bit about himself, and one thing led to the other… And here he was. She had good people skills like that.

She definitely wasn't wearing sporty clothes now. She wore a bright red dress, simple and elegant. Her long curly blonde hair was pinned up with clips. Her nails were as red as her dress.

The apartment was absolutely gorgeous, obviously. The view was amazing from every angle, whether it be Central Park or the Upper East Side. Temari's heels clicked on the polished hardwood floor as she made her way to some vast living room. So she was one of those people that wore heels inside her apartment, then. Sasuke had one of those as his upstairs neighbor. It was particularly annoying early in the morning.

The décor was very zen, he supposed. Not much in this room. There was one painting on the wall. A painting of New Orleans. Not that he was able to recognize the city just like that or anything. It said 'New Orleans' in big white letters in the bottom right corner.

Well there was also a desk and chair and laptop, so that was something. She had just been looking at the screenplay he had sent her by email, or so she wanted him to think anyway, because the document was open on the screen. There was an expensive looking bottle of white wine—already unscrewed—with two crystal wine glasses on the desk, next to the computer.

"Shall we celebrate?" She smiled.

Without waiting for his answer, she poured the wine in the glasses. She handed him his, and he took it to be polite. But, um…

"What are we celebrating?"

"Our first official meeting, silly. Your screenplay is amazing. Come on, cheers. First we drink, then we chat. This is how I do things."

"Whatever you say."

She looked so young to own a place like this. In fact, she couldn't be more than two or three years older than he was. Maybe her parents were very rich and had shared their fortune with her, or something. They drank some of their wine, and then Temari let out a dreamy sigh.

"I just adore your story."

"Really."

"You have a great sense of humor, Sasuke. This is really funny. It would be a perfect movie. Very modern. I like that there's a transgendered character. I think the world is ready for a character like him."

"Her," Sasuke said.

Temari arched an eyebrow. "What?"

"Her, not him. She's a trans woman."

"Oh, right." She chuckled, brushed it off. "My bad."

She waved toward the laptop with her hand that wasn't holding the wine. "But yeah. With the right actors, you know."

Okay. This was too good to be true. She couldn't be for real.

Also, every time she looked at him, he felt a bit intimidated by her stare. Her eyes were a really intense shade of blue, but it wasn't only that. She seemed… amused by him. In a cruel way. He wasn't sure how he could tell. Actually, maybe he was just being paranoid.

"Thank you," he said simply. After all, she was complimenting him. Sort of.

Except not really. Because he wasn't sure she meant it. She was still staring at him, so he looked away. He drank some more wine. It wasn't usually his favorite thing to drink, but this particular one was really good.

"You're really lovely, you know that?" she said. Her voice sounded… distant, and contemplating. "I'm really sorry, but I'm not actually interested in your screenplay. Though I had a lot of fun reading it. I swear. That much is true."

"Right." He felt so annoyed. What was her deal? Why would she make him come all the way here to tell him that? He didn't care if she thought he was 'lovely' or whatever. Ugh.

He put down his stupid crystal glass and tucked his hair behind his ear, feeling awkward.

Temari was stepping towards him slowly. "You _are_ beautiful though. Believe me." She looked up at him, her eyes studying his face. With her heels, she was almost as tall as he was. "I've seen many handsome men. But your face is one of the most striking I've ever seen. All angles and cheekbones but still somewhat soft and pretty. You should consider modeling instead of writing." She lifted a hand like she wanted to touch his face, but he stepped away.

He cleared his throat. "Sorry, but I'm not interested. Well, this has been, um, a waste of my time, to be honest. So I'll just go now."

"You will do no such thing."

But he turned away from her anyway, because honestly, she was acting really weird, and he just wanted to leave. But he realized two young men in suits were standing between him and the door.

"What's up with the bodyguards?"

"My brothers," Temari said. Pointing toward the short, skinny one with reddish hair, she said, "Gaara." And pointing toward the bigger one with brown hair and brown eyes, she added, "And Kankuro. They live with me."

He honestly doubted these three people were really siblings, because they looked nothing alike. But frankly, he didn't care.

"And you're introducing me to your family because…?"

"Oh, honey," she said, her voice sickly sweet, "they're here to kill you."

"What?"

Gaara and Kankuro produced guns. Shiny black guns. This was surreal.

Sasuke swallowed hard. He felt his heartbeat pick up, and he felt rather tense and vulnerable. Like he was suddenly naked or something. He'd never had a gun pointed at him before, let alone two. And these two guys looked really determined to kill him, too. They didn't show a single emotion on their faces. What the fuck?  
>"Okay, so um," Sasuke said, his voice shaking, "you know how we were talking about movies earlier? This is like, a scene from a really bad movie. Honestly, it's really weird. So, mind telling me what's going on, Temari?"<p>

"I'm terribly sorry about all this. It's nothing personal. In fact, I was friends with the man who possessed your father at a time—a long time ago. You're still such a beginner at all this, aren't you?" Her dark blue eyes raked him up and down as she walked around him and stopped when she was standing right next to him. But she made sure not to put herself in the way of her brothers' aim. "Sasori was right." Temari sighed, and brought a red fingernail to her bottom lip. "Deidara didn't tell you anything. That's bloody irresponsible of him." She almost sounded angry.

"So wh-who are you really?"

"I'm a reaper of course. With a little something extra." She winked. "Necromancer powers. Just like your father. He's the one who taught me." She tilted her blonde head, looking at him thoughtfully. Necromancer? "I'm surprised you've survived this long. No one even thought you were real. Everybody thought Deidara was babbling nonsense, like he always does anyway. Well, I'm afraid this ends now. Like I said, nothing personal." She opened a drawer, and took out a roll of black cotton rope. "Sit down."

He hesitated.

"My brothers are completely loyal to me. If I tell them to shoot, they will shoot. So I suggest you do as I ask."

The guys in the suits didn't flinch. Sasuke sat on the computer chair. Temari tied his arms behind the back, and then she tied his ankles to the bottom of the chair. While she did this, she said, "Sasori and I have big plans for this city. We can't very well let you and Deidara roam around freely."

"I don't even know anything. I have no idea what you're talking about. Honestly."

"You really don't, do you? He didn't tell you anything." She licked her lips as she stepped back and just observed him. She seemed to enjoy doing that, for some reason. "It's all right. It doesn't really matter. Sasori will take care of Deidara, and I'll take care of you. What I'll do is I'll kill you now, and then I'll go to Hell together with you and I'll kill you again, just to make sure you don't come back to mess up with our plans."

"Wait, what? You're saying you want to kill me twice? That's harsh. What did I ever do to you?" He was trying to stall for time. This was insane. He discreetly tested the rope, but it was pretty tight and solid. She was good at knots. "And besides," he said angrily, "what was the point of reading my story and inviting me here and offering me wine and everything, if it was just to kill me?"

"Because," she shrugged, "I was bored, and I wanted to get to know you a little. I wanted to have a nice glass of wine with a pretty boy. We could've had some fun, too, but you don't seem much interested, unfortunately. And you know, at first Sasori wasn't sure if he wanted us to try and befriend you, or if he wanted you dead. Now he's made up his mind, unfortunately."

"Don't I even get to meet him, and try to make him change his mind? Maybe we could come to some sort of arrangement. I could talk to Deidara, or something."

"Mmm sorry. Sasori isn't the type to change his mind."

"Still, it's worth a shot. You don't seem to want me dead. Or you would've done it already."

Temari thought about this, but she said nothing. Sasuke couldn't stop looking at those guns pointed at him. He wondered if he could call for Deidara. He couldn't shout his name. That would be a little unsubtle. But what if he could call for him mentally? Could Deidara hear that, too? It was worth a shot.

"Why are they doing this, anyway, your brothers? Are they friends with this Sasori person, too? Don't they care about killing an innocent person?"

Their eyes looked so empty. He felt like if he tried to address them directly, they wouldn't even answer him. It would be like talking to a wall.

_Deidara? If you can hear this, um…_

Temari was staring at him. "They're my lackeys, silly."

"Your what?"

Good, good, still stalling.

_Deidara? I'm kind of in trouble, and, um, if you could show up. Soon._

She laughed. "So you don't even know about necromancer powers? That is ridiculous."

"Enlighten me."

"If you inherited your father's powers, then you're just like me. We possess the ability to bring people back from the dead. It's pretty great. Your father was one of the first necromancers. He had quite a reputation. Everybody knew him in Hell. Unfortunately, he died when your mother's friends banished him from this world. His powers should live in you, though. But you haven't tried using them yet, have you?"

"Wait a minute, so you brought your brothers back from the dead?"

"Yes I did."

"So now they listen to your every word, without arguing?"

"Yes, of course. Why?"

"Well, it's just… Why would anyone want that?" He couldn't resist the urge to test those ropes again. But he was just scraping his skin pointlessly and he knew it. "It's not exactly a healthy relationship."

"There are different styles to being a necromancer. Some let their lackeys have their freedom. My style is rather strict. I make sure they obey me. Come closer, Gaara, Kankuro," she said. And they did. Still pointing those guns. No doubt they were charged, and ready to shoot. And this wasn't a video game. No other life.

Well from what Temari said, yes, there was another life. But she would find him there, too, and kill him again.

_Deidara? I'll be your partner. I promise. Whatever that means. _

"Impressive," Sasuke said, swallowing hard. "What else can they do? Sit pretty? Play dead?"

One of them finally seemed to show a flicker of emotion. The one with the brown hair. Kankuro. "You'll be the one playing dead soon."

"Oh, so they can talk, too."

"Well, Sasuke," Temari sighed, looking away, and playing with a strand that had come loose from her pins, "it's been nice knowing you, albeit a bit short. I'll see you in Hell…"

And he was pretty sure she meant that literally.

Deidara walked in the room then. Like he had been there the whole time.

Sasuke was very happy to see him right now, actually.

Temari and her brothers, not so much.

"What the hell are you doing here, Sasuke?" Deidara shouted angrily. He had his sword this time, and he held it in fighting stance; a long black blade that seemed to be shimmering even in the dull artificial light of the room. "This is Sasori's necromancer. She could've killed you!"

"Very useful telling me this _now_, Deidara," Sasuke replied, while trying to loosen those knots again. But it was pointless, and he was just hurting his wrists and ankles.

Kankuro was distracted by Deidara's appearance, but Gaara wasn't. He still aimed the gun at Sasuke, and he was about to shoot, clearly wanting to please his sister with his professionalism. Before he could fire, though, Deidara leaped in the air and brought down his sword. He merely scraped Gaara's hand, but his movement had been so swift and sudden that it was enough to make Gaara drop the weapon and step back in surprise.

Deidara placed himself in front of Sasuke protectively, holding up his sword.

He addressed Temari. "Don't you dare touch _my_ necromancer. Now that I've finally got one. You're such a bitch! I'm going to kill you one day."

She put a hand at her hip, looking very much annoyed. "I'd like to see you try. You're pathetic, Deidara. You wouldn't stand a chance against me. It would take a much more powerful demon… A mere reaper couldn't possibly—"

"What's that I feel, I wonder? The skin on my back is tingling," Deidara said.

At first Sasuke wondered what the fuck he was going on about. But then he watched, astonished, as something came out of Deidara's back. His jacket made a ripping sound as two large black feathery things appeared and seemed to elongate infinitely, until they took up almost the whole room.

Huge black wings, veined with red and gray streaks. Deidara looked over his shoulder and winked at Sasuke. Well, Sasuke couldn't see much with those feathers all over the place. But he could see that Temari was backing off.

"Temari," Gaara said in a low voice, placing himself in front of her, "this could be dangerous."

"I can't believe it." She sounded upset. "They promoted you? Who did?"

"Nagato," Deidara said proudly. "_He_ can recognize good work when he sees it, at least."

"I don't care!" Temari said dramatically. "I don't care if you're a stupid angel now. I'm not afraid of you."

But her brothers seemed to know better. Now they both placed themselves in front of her, ready to die for her.

Deidara didn't seem to want to kill anyone, though. Sasuke didn't care. He didn't necessarily want to kill them. He just wanted to get out of those ropes.

"Oh, come on," Deidara was saying, "it's _dark_ angel or angel of hell. At least get the nomenclature right. Now, we're leaving. Come on, Sasuke."

"I'm kind of tied up to the chair."

"Doesn't matter."

"Well, no, it doesn't, because you have a sword, and if you could just—"

"Sasuke," Deidara said sharply, "it doesn't matter. We're leaving. Not just this apartment. This dimension. Do you get it now?"

"Oh."

"Yes, oh. Now, hurry. If you don't hurry, I'll go without you. Do you really want to be stuck here alone?"

"Not particularly, no."

"Then just do it. You have to learn how to do this by yourself, mate."

"Well," he said as he heard Temari laughing at them, "_mate_, perhaps now isn't the best time to _learn_. I don't actually know how, so."

"Oh, for fuck's sake."

Deidara turned around, and it wasn't easy with those huge wings rustling and shedding feathers all over the place. Seriously, that was a lot of feathers. A small black one fell in Sasuke's face and he blew it away, annoyed.

Gaara fired his gun then. Sasuke flinched; it was so sudden and scary that he thought his heart stopped. But the bullet never reached him. It had gone through Deidara's wing, and he had caught it in flight between his thumb and index.

"Watch the wings, asshole," he shouted over his shoulder. Then he flicked the bullet onto the floor, and bent over to cup Sasuke's chin.

He was still really scared from almost being shot. That had been aimed at his head. If Deidara hadn't caught it…

"Look at me," Deidara said. And Sasuke did. He looked into his pale blue eyes. "Now close your eyes and I want you to trust me. And this time, do not run away from me, _please_."

Sasuke closed his eyes. He knew better than to run away.

The first thing his senses acknowledged was the smell of smoke and ashes carried by the wind. He realized he was free from the ropes. He was standing on his feet. And he opened his eyes.

And it was different from the last time. Things seemed… clearer. And he felt more relaxed. In fact, his headache was gone. Huh.

He stood next to Deidara in a desert of ashy white sand. There was white smoke in the distance. It seemed to be lighting the black sky. Sasuke could see ravens flying up there. He blinked, and looked to the side, where he could make out the beginnings of a forest. The cold wind blew in his hair as he looked. And he saw someone. Or rather, several people. But he wasn't afraid. He felt detached and calm.

Unlike him, those people in the forest were afraid. They were running away from their own nightmarish visions. Some of them were screaming. But their screams sounded very distant.

Slowly, Sasuke turned to look at Deidara.

"Well, you've brought me here. What now?"

He frowned. Suddenly he wasn't paying attention to Deidara anymore. If he answered, Sasuke didn't listen. He could see a large fire in the middle of the white sand desert, as he looked over one of Deidara's black wings. He couldn't tell how far away it was. Distance seemed really difficult to calculate here. But he could definitely see it. And it was strange—and oddly refreshing—to see the orange flames rising high and licking the black sky. Some color in this gray world.

But then he realized there were people being burned alive in that fire. They were trapped there, and they couldn't get out. Like someone had tied them up all together before burning them. Sasuke could hear them writhe in pain, even from here.

"You'll learn to stop paying attention to all that stuff," Deidara said kindly, squeezing Sasuke's shoulder comfortingly. "Nothing much you can do about it, anyway. Now, come. I need you to walk with me. We have a lot to talk about."

Sasuke sighed, and tore his eyes from the fire. They walked in the opposite direction, toward the forest. "Yeah, I guess we do. So, if I'm finally going to acknowledge that all this is really happening, then we're going to start with the beginning. And you're going to answer all of my questions."

"Oh, goody…"

"So you're capable of sarcasm, too. Maybe we'll get along after all. Nice wings, by the way. Felt like I had to take that out of my system. Very fluffy."

"Thank you. But they're not very convenient." As he said this, he retracted them, because apparently he could do that. They disappeared, shedding a bunch of black feathers, and one red one, and then he was able to fasten his sword back in its sheath. "What's your first question?"

"Who exactly was my father?"

"Oh Lord. Let's not go there yet…"

"Fine. We'll save it for later. So this is Hell."

"Yes."

"Is there a Heaven, too?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes."

"So… do most people come here when they die, or is it fifty/fifty, or what?"

"Most people come here. Some go to Purgatory. Heaven hardly ever accepts anyone, honestly..."

"What's Purgatory?"

"It's… complicated. Can we save that one for later, too?"

They were approaching the forest, with its black leafless trees.

"So I'm a necromancer. How does that work exactly?"

"I'd rather show you than tell you. You have to use it sooner or later anyway."

"Why? What if I don't want to?" He didn't want anyone to become his slave the way Temari's brothers were.

"You have to," Deidara insisted. "It's a part of you. It's not healthy to ignore it."

"But—"

"So how would you feel," Deidara interrupted him, "if I killed one of your friends so that you could bring them back?"

"No way," Sasuke shook his head. "I'd never allow that."

"I see…"

Sasuke stopped, stomping the soft gray sand—or was it ash?—with his boots.

"Deidara, what did you do?"

"Well," he swallowed, "I might've…"

Oh, no. "What the fuck did you do?"

"I killed your friend Suigetsu. But just so you could bring him back!" He hurriedly added. "It'll be okay, I promise."

"You bastard!" Sasuke punched Deidara's face. He couldn't help it. This wasn't right. "Where is he? I want to find him right now."

Deidara cupped his cheek, offended. "I was taking you to him before we stopped…"

They started walking again, this time in silence. Sasuke wasn't in the mood for talking. He picked up the pace, and Deidara followed. The forest wasn't much of a forest after all, more a line of tree, which they passed. Beyond it was a cemetery. They made their way across it, finding a path between the thumb stones.

"Why is there a cemetery, anyway?"

"It turns out a lot of people fear being buried."

Made sense.

"So people come here and face their worst fears?"

"Yes."

"But can people be killed again here? And then is it final? Temari said she would stalk me here and kill me again."

He wasn't in the mood for talking, and he just wanted to find Suigetsu, but he was curious. And for once Deidara was answering his questions. Maybe because he felt guilty.

"Yes, it's pretty final. Most of the time."

"Most of the time?" Sasuke asked. "What does that mean?"

Deidara hesitated. The wind blew in his blonde hair and he smoothed it down. "Let's just say some people's spirits are more resilient than others."

"What about Temari? And that Sasori guy? Can't you just kill them if you hate them that much?"

"I don't want to risk it, Sasuke." Now he sounded whiny. "I just got promoted. I'm not supposed to go around and kill reapers for no reason. Nagato would be disappointed, and I don't want that."

"Who's Nagato?"

"He's an HD. Higher demon," Deidara added, and grinned. "He's a big deal. I got friends in high places."

"You know, I can't exactly feel happy for you right now, considering you just admitted killing my best friend."

They entered another patch of woods. These ones didn't look so scary. Sasuke even thought he saw some green here and there. And he saw those ravens flying in the sky again. In the distance, he thought he heard some rhythmic music playing, something entrancing and that made him want to go toward it and see where it was coming from. It was funny. Last time he was so scared, but now he couldn't help but being filled with a sentiment of anticipation and excitement. Like anything could happen here.

"How are you feeling?" asked Deidara.

_Pretty good, actually._

But he said, "I'm angry, obviously. Where's Suigetsu?"

"We're not very far now."

"So how come you guys can go to… to Earth, I guess, and walk among people? You can even have lives there? Temari had an apartment and everything. She came to my climbing gym!"

"It takes time and practice but some of us can go to Earth for prolonged periods of time, yes. It can be practical for a reaper to have a place to stay down there, actually. Though it was pretty arrogant of Temari to get her apartment in the middle of _my_ city." He sighed. "Well, they do want to take over, so I guess a bold move like that isn't below them."

"So you're New York's official reaper, then?"

"Well, Manhattan, to be more specific. Sasori has Brooklyn. But he's jealous and he wants what's mine."

"To be fair, anyone would probably choose Manhattan over Brooklyn…"

"I don't care! I deserve it. I've waited a long time for this position, and I'm good at what I do. I won't let stupid Sasori take it from me. And you're going to help me."

"Just one question," Sasuke said, stepping over a tree root. "What's in it for me?"

Deidara gave a humorless laugh. They could see a small wooden cabin in the woods, in the distance, and Deidara led the way toward it.

"It's too late to back out now, darling, if that's what you're thinking. They already know about you. They already want to kill you. So it's either you're with me or you're not. But if you're not, they'll kill you anyway. If you side with me, at least we have a chance of beating them."

As they approached the cabin, Sasuke heard the sound of a chainsaw.

"Oh, for fuck's sake. Some moron's worst fear is the plot from some cliché horror movie, then?"

He saw the look on Deidara's face, and understood.

"Oh. I get it. That moron is my best friend. All right," he sighed, "let's do this."

The masked man with the chainsaw was roaming around the cabin menacingly, making his chainsaw roar every now and then. Sasuke rushed over to him, eager to get this over with as quickly as possible. He wasn't even afraid. The chainsaw holder saw him, and wanted to attack him, and Sasuke was tempted to roll his eyes.

It was like time was slowing down. For everything but Sasuke. His opponent seemed excruciatingly slow all of a sudden. Sasuke just moved aside swiftly and grabbed the arm that was holding the chainsaw, bending it the wrong way so that he would drop it to the ground. The dangerous weapon was hurtled a few feet away, and stopped against a tree. Sasuke then hit the masked man in the face repeatedly, eventually throwing him to the ground. He had hit him so hard that his fist should really hurt. But it didn't. Sasuke stepped back. The wind seemed to have stopped.

Instead fog started to creep up all around them, blurring their surroundings. When Sasuke looked down again, he saw that the masked man and the chainsaw were both gone. Of course.

"You didn't have to fight him, you know," said Deidara, amused. "All you had to do was ignore him and he would've disappeared."

"Yeah, well, it's good to unwind sometimes."

"It was entertaining, though." Deidara tilted his head. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"All those violent video games."

He kicked the door to the cabin open without even checking if it was locked beforehand.

Suigetsu winced when the door was kicked open, and he muffled a cry. There he was, in the corner of the empty wooden cabin, sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees, scared.

"Please don't hurt me…"

"Suigetsu, it's me."

As he heard Sasuke's voice, he suddenly looked up, relief all over his face. He jumped up and ran to Sasuke, before hugging him tight.

"Oh my God, Sasuke, what the fuck is this place?"

"God isn't going to help you here, that's for sure," Deidara said as he stepped inside the cabin behind Sasuke.

Suigetsu winced and pulled away from Sasuke, and he pointed a finger at the reaper—or angel of death or whatever he was now.

"Sasuke… that's the guy who attacked me…"

Sasuke glared at Deidara angrily. But Deidara raised his hands in surrender.

"Hey, he's exaggerating. I didn't really _attack_ him. I just gave him a nice and quick little heart attack, and—"

"Please don't hurt me, please, I'll do anything," Suigetsu was saying.

"Shut up!" Sasuke raised one hand. "Both of you. Just shut up. Okay. Deidara. What's my next move?"

"You just need to teleport back to your apartment with him."

Sasuke sighed tiredly. "Look, I know you always expect me to know how to do those things, but I don't, and right now I have no guns pointed at my head, so if you could—"

Suigetsu crossed his arms, and frowned. "Sasuke, what's going on here?"

They ignored him. Deidara stepped forward, nodding. "All right, I'll teach you. Mostly you just have to think about the blood."

"The blood? What blood?"

"You know. Red. Thick. Icky. Blood. That's what triggers it when we teleport. It's a symbol, the pathway through and out of Hell. The blood of all the dead people."

"Oh, right," Sasuke said. He could do that. Thinking about blood. It pretty much happened even when he wasn't trying, anyway.

"We're in H-Hell?" Suigetsu said in a shaky voice, rubbing his arms for warmth.

"Okay, look," Deidara said, "I'll show you something. This is one way to do it. Not all reapers use this technique, but it's easier, for beginners."

He slid his sword out of its sheath, and held it in his right hand. With the tip of the blade he cut his left palm, and blood poured to the floor. Then he put down one knee and placed his left hand to the floor, where a blood red circle started spreading. It started gleaming, and shimmering. Deidara was crouched in the middle of it, his palm still facing the ground. He looked up, and smiled.

"See? Easy. Your turn."

And then he disappeared, the red seeming to engulf him. And only a faint black smoke was left where he had been. The red circle disappeared, too. It was as though Deidara had never been there.  
>"What the fuck just happened?" Suigetsu asked.<p>

"He teleported," Sasuke said more to himself. "It's okay, we'll do the same. It would've been nice if he'd left me his sword, though. That idiot."

Suigetsu produced a small kitchen knife with a shaky hand. "I-I have this. I was eating some cheese when he k-killed me. And I sort of… still had it on me. I just didn't think it would be much use against a chainsaw, but I kept it anyway."

"Good. Give it to me."

Sasuke used it to cut open his palm. It hurt, but not really at the same time. Like if he didn't think about it too much, he only felt a tingle.

He lowered himself and pushed his hand to the ground. He motioned for Suigetsu to come closer, and he did. They watched together as the red circle appeared again, just as it had for Deidara. Instinctively Sasuke grabbed Suigetsu's arm and pulled him down with him, and he thought of their apartment.

They saw blood everywhere.

And then when the red faded, they were in their apartment. Just like that. Suigetsu was standing next to Sasuke in the middle of the living room, but his body was motionless on the couch. He had been watching something on his laptop, probably, but whatever it was no longer played, because the room was completely still and silent. The bi-colored curtains got rustled by the wind slightly but that was it. Deidara stood next to the couch, his arms crossed.

"Took you some time."

"Well you could've waited for us. What do I do now?"

Deidara waved with a hand as though it was perfectly obvious. "Put him back in his body."

"Right."

Suigetsu was freaking out. He grabbed Sasuke's arm with ice cold fingers. "What am I right now? A ghost? Why can I touch you?"

"Because I'm a necromancer?" He looked over at Deidara.

Deidara nodded. Okay.

Sasuke brought Suigetsu closer to the couch, and they both sat together next to it. Suigetsu was looking at his body.

"I look so… dead."

"It's okay, um, Suigetsu, listen, I'm gonna need you to… to lie down there, and to get back into your body."

"What? H-How?"

Sasuke looked at Deidara for help.

"Tell him to close his eyes. It's always easier for them with the eyes closed."

"I heard you," Suigetsu said, "I'm not deaf. Just dead." He closed his eyes as he was instructed.

Then Sasuke guided him, making him sit on the couch. When the ghost Suigetsu came in contact with the real Suigetsu, it was like they couldn't touch, and instead they just sort of merged together. Suigetsu slowly lowered himself onto the couch as Sasuke told him to, until the two bodies were only one.

Sasuke was looming over him, waiting for something to happen. But he wasn't breathing.

"Then what?" he asked urgently.

"You kiss him," Deidara said.

_"What?"_

"I'm joking!"

"It's not funny. This is my best friend and he looks very dead to me still."

"Just be patient, love."

A few more seconds passed, and then Suigetsu's eyes opened and he breathed in sharply, before coughing, and breathing in again. And coughing again.

"Just… calm down…" Sasuke said nervously. "You're okay." _I think_.

"Oh my god, Sasuke!" Suigetsu sat up and fell into Sasuke's arms, leaning into him and holding him close. "That was the most horrible nightmare ever. Did you wake me up? Thank you…"

"You mean you don't remember?"

"Remember what?" He pulled away, and wiped under his eyes. "Ugh," he groaned, embarrassed, "why am I crying? It was some fucked up nightmare but I'm a grown man, damn it. I'll just go take a shower. I feel all… weird." He rubbed his chest and made a face. "Thanks for waking me up, all right? That was so fucked up…" He shook his head in disbelief as he jumped to his feet and stalked over to the bathroom.

Sasuke looked over his shoulder at Deidara for help. But Deidara was gone.

Oh, fucking hell.

...

AN: This is it for now, guys! You're awesome and I love writing for you and reading your reviews : )


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"_Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve."_

The headache was gone. The tiredness was gone.

He hated to admit it, but he felt amazing since going to Hell and bringing Suigetsu back. He couldn't deny it. He had so much energy. He felt strong and like nothing could stop him. It was like a drug—a drug that lasted days.

It was Friday now, and he was getting ready to go out. He just wanted to let it out, all that energy. It was making him insane. He wanted to move, to be around people, to dance, to party—something, anything. He wanted to just have fun and forget about everything else. To lose control.

He was going out of his mind in this stupid boring apartment.

"They're having a special electronic music night at _Laid-Back_. I'm not missing that," Sasuke told Suigetsu.

Right now they were in the bathroom. Suigetsu was using the flat iron to straighten Sasuke's long-ish dark hair. Suigetsu had burned his fingers three or four times in the process but he insisted on carrying on with it.

Some pretty good party music was playing right now, from Suigetsu's laptop in the next room. Soundtrack from the movie Project X; okay movie, great music.

"Can I come?" Suigetsu asked. He was pretty much done with Sasuke's hair. Now he was just sort of… touching it. "God your hair is so soft. You're lucky."

"Stop it you're acting weird."

"Am I? Sorry." Suigetsu kept his hand in Sasuke's hair anyway.

"And no you can't come. It's a gay bar you won't like it anyway."

"But I want to come with you!"

"I can't stop you if you really want to…"

Sasuke pulled away and leaned against the sink counter. Suigetsu was acting a little… different. Ever since the incident. Well, different was a bit of a euphemism, actually. But Sasuke wasn't really worried, because Deidara had visited him since then, and he said the effects would fade with time. Also Sasuke felt too good to worry about anything right now.

"Awesome!" He touched Sasuke's arm, smiling. "We're gonna have so much fun. Drinks on me, okay?"

"I have two jobs and you don't even have one. Why would you pay for my drinks?"

"Because you're my best friend!"

Suigetsu rushed over to his bedroom and Sasuke heard rummaging around; Suigetsu was choosing an outfit.

Sasuke looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. Pale gray distressed skinny jeans, black belt with silver chains hanging at the sides, black zip up vest—he wasn't wearing anything under it.

He looked healthier than before, too. Like he was eating and sleeping properly. So that was good.

On a whim he went in his bedroom, shut the door and grabbed his phone, skimming through his contacts list. And he called Naruto.

"Hey, Sasuke," he answered in a careful voice, "what's up?"

"You want to go out tonight?"

"Tonight? Where?"

"Laid-Back."

"Where's that?"

Sasuke smiled, a hand lingering on his laptop keyboard as he leaned over his computer chair. "You know the place. First time we met, little fox. Ring any bell? The music's gonna be great tonight. None of that top forty crap."

"Why do you want me to come?"

"Does it matter? What I want to know, Naruto, is if _you_ want to come."

"You sound different. Did something happen?"

"Maybe."

"Did you… use your powers, or something?"

"…Maybe."

"You shouldn't have."

Sasuke tilted his head. He was getting a little impatient. "Do you want to come, or not?"

"I can't go out tonight. I'm working really early tomorrow morning."

"Oh come on. Live a little."

"I really can't."

"Fine," he shrugged, moving away from the desk. He went to look at his shoes. He would wear his gothic boots tonight. Eh, why not? Who cares about modern fashion?

"Okay, then, have fun…"

"Yeah, I will. I'll just find someone else to make out with."

Silence. Sasuke bit his lip so he wouldn't laugh.

"Wow, okay…"

"What's wrong?" he asked innocently.

"I just wasn't expecting you to say that."

"What's the problem? You can still change your mind, you know."

"I don't want to go to that stupid club."

"All right. I'm not forcing you. Enjoy your night."

Naruto said nothing. But he didn't hang up.

Suigetsu walked in the room then. "Oh, hey, let me do that for you."

Sasuke had been struggling to put on his boots while talking on the phone. He leaned back as he let Suigetsu lace them up for him. He was being incredibly helpful lately.

Okay, so maybe Sasuke was enjoying this a little too much. But whatever. Suigetsu looked very happy. And Deidara had said it would fade… Besides, it wasn't even his fault.

"Who are you on the phone with?"

"Naruto. He doesn't want to come with us tonight."

"Boo!"

In the phone, Naruto said, "I thought Suigetsu was straight."

"Straight people can go to gay clubs if they want to, you know," Sasuke explained. "They don't ask you for your gay membership card at the door."

"I know that…"

"So, um, why are you still on the phone?"

"You're a dick."

"Hey don't insult him!" Suigetsu exclaimed. Apparently he could hear their conversation. "Sasuke is awesome everyone knows that."

Naruto hung up.

"Oh well, who cares about him?" Sasuke shoved his cell in his pocket, and looked at Suigetsu. He was wearing all black. It made his light hair look even brighter. "I like what you're wearing. All right, come on let's go."

"Yeah well I know you like black clothes, so…" Suigetsu looked all proud.

"Right. Anyway…"

"Won't you be cold?" Suigetsu asked as they stepped out and locked the apartment door.

"Oh, no," Sasuke said, smiling, "trust me, I won't be cold."

…

Everyone was there. Orochimaru at the bar, Yahiko with his crazy red dyed hair and piercings, and even Konan. She wore a tiny black skirt and a studded tank top, showing off the various floral tattoos all over her legs and arms. Konan and Suigetsu were standing at the bar and talking together while they waited for Orochimaru to make their drinks.

"How do you get your hair like that?" Suigetsu asked her.  
>"These days I use Manic Panic shocking blue," she said, "it's pretty great. I like all their shades, really…"<p>

Sasuke was bored. They had been here a while and his friends didn't want to dance yet. Yahiko wanted to keep Orochimaru company. Apparently Konan and Suigetsu were keeping each other company. This was lame. The music was good, at least. But what was the point if they weren't even dancing?

He just stood near the bar counter, sipping his drink. At least Orochimaru's cocktails were amazing, as always. He always put extra liquor for Sasuke, said it was a little special just for him—but he probably said that to everyone. Orochimaru could be a flirtatious guy. Sasuke wasn't into him though. He wasn't really into anyone right now.

Well, there _was_ someone. But that wasn't going to work out anyway, was it?

Some guys in the club were cute. Some looked toward him. But he didn't really feel like giving it a try, not right now anyway.

And suddenly Sasuke saw someone very familiar in the crowd, gracefully snaking his way towards him. Someone very skinny and androgynous with shiny blonde hair.

"Deidara! What are you doing here? Wait, am I going to look like a crazy person for talking to myself?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

But the reaper shook his head, smiling. He spread his arms. "Don't worry about a thing. Everyone can see me. I made a little effort."

And he had made an extra little effort with his outfit, too, apparently; instead of the all black reaper gear he wore animal print skinny jeans and an open neck ivory white shirt that looked like cashmere.

"Looking good," Sasuke said, somewhat mockingly.

Deidara pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "Some guy over there asked me if I was pre or post-op."

"You do look kinda girly," Sasuke said, sipping at his drink. "What do you have down there, Dei? Really?"

"Dei? I like it. You're in a good mood. And I have a fairy wand down there. It's quite magical. I can show you if you like."

"Maybe another time, _partner_."

Deidara winked. Then cleared his throat. "So… everything all right for you then?"

"Yeah, except that Suigetsu is a little—"

Speaking of which, he just showed up next to them. He handed a glass of water to Sasuke.

"You should really have some. If you just drink alcohol you'll get dehydrated, and you'll be sick in the morning."

"Thank you. That's nice."

"No problem! Is that guy bothering you?" He sent a suspicious glance at Deidara.

"No, it's fine. You can go back to Konan now."

"Okay. We're going dancing soon."

"Great."

"Okay," he said again, touching Sasuke's arm and… stroking it. He smiled. "You look beautiful, Sasuke, really."

Beautiful? "Right. Just… go back to Konan, all right? I think she's really into you."

That was just a lie to get rid of him—Konan only dated people covered in tattoos. But it worked. Sasuke sighed, and made to take a sip of his cocktail, and then thought better of it and drank some water instead. Suigetsu was right. That was smart.

"I see what you mean." Deidara nodded thoughtfully. "But like I said, it'll fade. He might be a tad smitten with you in the early days, though. Don't be too shocked if he tries to sleep with you."

"That would never happen. We're like brothers. Bros. Friends. Whatever you call it."

"Mates."

"I don't actually care what you call it. What are you doing here, anyway?"

Deidara shrugged innocently, playing with his hair. He had navy nail polish on. Sasuke also noticed he had eyeliner and mascara of the same dark blue shade. His eyes trailed across the crowded room, and the black and red décor of the walls, and they eventually settled on the DJ booth. Sasuke couldn't blame him. That DJ was pretty hot; all toned tan skin and cute face and that. The fact that he played good electronic music gave him bonus points, too.

Naruto was hotter, though.

Why was he thinking about Naruto right now? Whatever.

"I kind of wanted to invite you to a better party, actually."

"Really? In Manhattan?" he said disinterestedly. He imitated Deidara and let his gaze wander across the dance floor. Cute boys, good music, cool light effects and loads of artificial fog machines; they had a good thing going here. Why would they want to leave?

"No," Deidara nudged him, and leaned closer, "you know. That little place we call home. That little place I call home, anyway."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow. "You mean Hell?"

"We don't necessarily call it that, you know," Deidara said defensively.

"What do you call it then?" Sasuke looked at him, sipping his drink. He wasn't really feeling the alcohol yet. He would have to tell Orochimaru to make it extra special next time.

"Well, you know, some of us call it party town." He made some weird disco move with his arms, and it looked kind of silly.

Sasuke laughed. "Whatever you say, partner."

"So you do want to be my partner now?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really."

"There you go."

Deidara thought for a moment. "So you do feel good right? I mean, after using your powers and everything."

"Would be pointless to deny it."

"So how would you feel about trying it again?"

"No."

"But Temari and Sasori—"

"I don't care."

"They have an army, Sasuke."

"Still no."

"We need to fight back somehow!" He insisted.

When Sasuke just shook his head, Deidara looked all discomfited. He just looked down at his feet. Sasuke was incredibly amused to notice that Deidara wore black furry boots.

"Were you planning on going to a rave?"

"You could call it that."

"You're serious."

Deidara found his smile again. "The parties in Hell, my friend. They're amazing. If you're V.I.P. of course. Which you would be, if you came with me. Come on, please say yes. Nagato wants to meet you."

"That guy who's kind of like your boss?"

"Uh-huh."

"I'll think about it, okay? I want to stay here a little longer. Come on I'll introduce you to my friends."

"What will you tell them?" Deidara twirled a strand of hair between his fingers. "You can't very well tell them that I'm a dark angel from Hell."

Sasuke thought about this for a moment, as they were halfway to his group of friends. "I'll just tell them I met you online or something."

"Okay."

His friends had just started dancing, so Sasuke went to meet up with them.

"Yahiko, Konan, Suigetsu, this is my new friend Deidara."

"Nice to meet you," Yahiko said.

"I like your boots," Konan added.

They just carried on dancing after that. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood.

"Where did you guys meet?" Yahiko asked at some point. He caught his reflection in one of the mirrors on the wall and ran his fingers through his bright red hair full of styling products.

"On the internets," Sasuke said. Unable to come up with any dating website for gay guys that wouldn't make it sound like he and Deidara had already had sex. There weren't really any for gay guys who just wanted to be friends.

"What do you identify as?" Konan asked Deidara.

He seemed confused, so Sasuke answered for him. "Genderqueer," he said.

"Cool," Konan said, nodding.

Deidara sent him a questioning look, but Sasuke just smiled at him.

"My party has much better music," Deidara said after a while, leaning closer.

"Give me, like, fifteen more minutes."

Deidara beamed. "But you _do_ want to come?"

"I really don't know why. But yes, I guess I do." He felt excited and giddy and almost euphoric just thinking about going back there. It was completely insane. He didn't even understand it, not at all. But he wanted to go. It was instinctive; it was the only way he could explain it.

"So why do you want to wait fifteen minutes? Are you hoping someone else might show up?"

Sasuke glanced at the entrance of the club. "Maybe."

_But he's not coming. Because he works in the morning. Pft. Excuses. He's just_ _afraid. He won't admit that—_

"Sasuke?" Deidara called.

"What?"

"Look."

Sasuke looked where Deidara was pointing; toward the back of the club, and the door giving to the staff only section. Someone had just walked in through there. Hands in his pockets, looking all nervous, glancing from side to side like he was afraid he was going to get caught.

"Little fox is here," Deidara said.

"Well, well. I'm impressed."

Naruto wore his converse sneakers with jeans and t-shirt, but he didn't need to wear anything special to look amazing. His slim jeans and t-shirt were respectively pale faded blue and dark orange with abstract drawings on it. The color reminded Sasuke a bit of the color on Naruto's bedroom walls. The color of sunset—maybe it was one of his favorites. It looked good on him, anyway.

It became clear that Naruto had seen him through the crowded dance floor, but that he was pretending otherwise, and that he was too stubborn to make a move and come talk to him.

"Be right back," Sasuke said.

He made his way toward Naruto, pushing through some tight groups of dancers—the place really was crowded. But he made it.

"You came." He had to shout to be heard over the music, since they were standing next to a huge speaker. Now, that couldn't be good for their eardrums.

"I just came to return your friend's clothes," Naruto replied.

"Oh, okay. Did you sneak in again? Did you transform into a fox?"

"No! Jee Sasuke do you think you could say that any louder?" He looked around nervously, his hands still shoved in his pockets. "It's not even the full moon I can't transform. In fact it's a moonless night tonight. I don't need to be a fox to sneak in. I just waited at the back while some guy that works here was having a smoke, and then I just caught the door before it closed and I walked in. Wasn't that difficult, actually."

"You know you could've just texted me, and I would've let you in."

Naruto said nothing.

"So it was just to bring the clothes back?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah."

"But you're here now."

"Well, you know, I was already here, so I figured, I could maybe stay a bit, see what the fuss was all about."

"And?"

"The music's nice," he said evasively, "but I'm not nearly drunk enough to dance, so…"

"Oh, come on, you don't have to be drunk to dance." Sasuke took his hand and led him to his friends. Naruto let him.

At some point he leaned closer and spoke in his ear. "Sasuke… did you use your powers?"

"I'll tell you later, okay?"

Sasuke introduced him to his friends.

"Bringing a lot of friends tonight, Sasuke," Konan said.

"And attractive ones, too," Yahiko added appreciatively.

Suigetsu put a hand to his chest and smiled. "Aw, thank you!"

Sasuke wasn't sure Yahiko had meant him, but whatever.

"Hey Suigetsu," Sasuke said, "do you mind bringing some drinks for me and Naruto?"

"Sure, what would you like?"

"The ones Orochimaru called Starstruck earlier, I think? With the vodka and strawberry juice or something…"

"All right, cool." And he went to the bar.

Deidara laughed and leaned closer to Sasuke. "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

Sasuke couldn't exactly deny it.

"I see gay reaper is here," Naruto said in a lower voice, so that the others wouldn't hear.

"I'm not gay I'm just British," Deidara replied. And he just kept dancing, smiling at Konan and Yahiko.

"Uh-huh…"

Sasuke took Naruto's arm and stepped aside with him.

"How are you, though? Really?"

"I'm good. I'm better," he said, nodding. "I've been trying to forget about the whole thing, you know. I made a new friend, too, so that helps. Hinata. The girl from the coffee shop. I've been seeing her."

Sasuke's stomach did an unpleasant lurch, and he had to try really hard not to look troubled by this.

"That's great."

Naruto saw through it. "It's not what you think. It's not like that. She's a werewolf. She sensed that I was different too so she wanted to be friends, to share our experiences, you know? She said her family was really difficult to talk to, so she wanted a friend to confide in."

"Well it's cool that you guys can be friends—I've heard wolves and foxes don't usually get along."

Naruto shrugged. "We're the exception, I guess."

"Hey I saw Temari. Turns out she's not an agent. She's a demon. And she was never interested in my writing. Just to kill me. It was such a shame. I'd dressed myself all hipstery and artsy for nothing. I even wore a scarf."

"Oh… wow."

"Yeah."

"Sasuke I'm sorry. That sucks. But, well, I mean, I assume she didn't kill you. Unless you're now a demon roaming the Earth like your friend Deidara over there."

"You're kidding, right? Wouldn't you be able to tell the difference?"

"Not necessarily. His act is well rounded up." Naruto glanced toward Deidara.

But Sasuke grabbed Naruto and pulled him close, and he forced him to put his hand on his chest.

"Can't you feel my heartbeat? Do you think I'm dead now?"

"It's beating really fast," Naruto whispered, and their eyes met.

Naruto pulled away, and Sasuke let him.

"It does that sometimes."

_Especially when I'm around you, actually._

Suigetsu came back with their drinks. Naruto thanked him and tried the dark pink cocktail, and he seemed to really like it. So he started drinking it pretty quickly. Sasuke smiled and drank some of his, too.

"So how many of those will it take for you to dance with us?" he asked.

Naruto shrugged, and he looked rather shy in a really cute way—he was one of those people who had no idea how attractive they really were.

"At least another one," he said eventually.

Sasuke was about to grab Suigetsu again, but Naruto stopped him.

"Hey, it's fine. I can pay for it myself."

So they went to the bar counter together and ordered some more expensive drinks.

"What's up with Suigetsu, anyway? Doesn't he have better things to do than to follow you here and buy your drinks? Doesn't he have some video games to play? Did he lose a bet and now he's your slave for the day, or something?"

Sasuke leaned his elbows across the slick black counter as they waited, but he turned to look at Naruto.

"You asked me earlier if I used my powers," he said in a low voice, and Naruto had to lean really close to hear him. "Deidara killed Suigetsu without telling me. But then I brought him back to life."

Naruto stared. He didn't seem that shocked. "So you're a necromancer."

"You _knew_ about that?"

"I wasn't sure. I knew the demon who possessed your father had both reaper and necromancer powers. That's what made him so powerful. It was all in my mother's journal. She really did her research, you know? But you didn't want to read it."

"Naruto, it talked about her love life. Do you really want me to read that?"

"So? Just skip those parts, that's all! She didn't end up talking about it that much, anyway. She met my dad pretty early on and they were just one of those couples that knew there wasn't anyone else in the world for them."

Sasuke forgot to breathe for a moment as he heard Naruto say those words, and his stupid brain couldn't help but think that it would be nice if Naruto could feel that way about him.

Annoying secretly hopeless romantic brain. Right? Ugh.

Plus at that moment some drunk guy pushed Naruto out of the way to get to the bar, and he fell in Sasuke's arms as a result. Sasuke enjoyed it, even though it lasted only one brief moment—Naruto's skin was very soft and warm, and it made Sasuke's skin all prickly and electric where they touched—and even though Naruto was angry.

"Damn it, stupid drunk guy," he muttered as he pulled away.

_Thank you, stupid drunk guy._

They got their drinks and held them carefully, turning around to walk back toward the dance floor. But it was so crowded that they would probably spill them all over the place even if they were careful.

"We should drink them now," Naruto said matter-of-factly.

"Maybe, yeah…"

"Just cause, you know, they were really expensive. Wouldn't want to spill them. Would be a waste of my hard-earned money, you know."

"Well, cheers, Naruto," Sasuke raised his glass, "I hope you can forget your problems a bit and dance with us."

_With me, preferably._

They started drinking and they didn't stop until their clear glasses were completely drained.

"Gross," Naruto said, laughing.

"That was a bit much," Sasuke admitted.

They discarded their now empty glasses and they wandered back into feverish dance floor land.

"I like the light effects here," Naruto said.

"They're pretty nifty."

"And the music is really great. You were right…" His blue eyes met Sasuke's.

"Yeah," Sasuke smiled, "I know."

They met up with Sasuke's friends, and Suigetsu offered him some water.

"Awesome, thanks," Sasuke said, and after drinking some he offered it to Naruto.

"I can't believe you did this," Naruto whispered to Sasuke after Suigetsu had resumed dancing with the others, "and now what, he's acting all obsessed with you and stuff?"

"Pretty much, but Deidara said it would fade."

"And you trust Deidara?" Naruto stared at the reaper, making a face at his furry boots and animal print pants.

"Well…"

"I can't believe you're acting all friendly with him after what he did. He killed your friend, after all. He couldn't have been sure bringing him back would work."

"He seemed pretty sure," Sasuke said defensively.

"Whatever."

"Yes, Naruto, whatever. Let's just enjoy tonight, okay?"

He nodded.

After some time Naruto made an effort to start dancing. But he was still a little stiff.

"You want some shots?" Sasuke asked him.

Naruto answered right away. "Yes."

He was about to go back to the bar counter with him when Deidara stopped him.

"When are we going to _my_ party?" he whined. "It's so much better, I promise."

"Give me like five minutes," Sasuke said. "Five minutes."

And he followed Naruto to the bar. He took out his wallet, and went to Orochimaru's section of the bar, where he knew he would be served right away. He ordered six tequila shots and indeed got them right away along with six lemon slices. He paid and left a good tip, before smiling at Naruto.

"You ready?"

Those almond shaped blue eyes stared right back at him defiantly.

"Yeah."

He wondered if this was Naruto's first time drinking shots.

They drank the shots—three each—and clearly it wasn't Naruto's first time after all. On a whim Sasuke stole Naruto's last lemon slice and placed it between his lips. After Naruto downed his shot he looked at him and Sasuke wondered what he was going to do.

He went for it. Their lips touched for the briefest moment as Naruto stole the slice back from Sasuke. Naruto gave a little smile as he put away the lemon slice in his empty shot glass. Then he looked up, licking his lips clean.

"Do you party a lot?"

"Sometimes," Naruto said.

"With your friends from school?"

He nodded. "Why? Didn't you go to parties in high school?"

"Oh, um, yeah," Sasuke lied, "lots of parties."

Naruto seemed thoughtful. "You didn't, did you? You skipped a year, so you were younger. And they didn't invite you."

"That… pretty much sums it up actually."

"Well," Naruto said firmly, finding Sasuke's hand and lacing their fingers together tightly, "tonight you're partying with a high school boy."

"My life is now complete," Sasuke said.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the sarcasm, but he was becoming a lot less stiff. It was Naruto leading them across the dance floor now. He seemed a lot more confident than before.

And it seemed he was ready to dance.

…

At first Naruto was a bit shy and hesitant, but then he got really into it. He even smiled when Sasuke looked at him. He was letting himself have fun, for once. His hair was all messy and tousled as it brushed his shoulders. A warm dark blonde shade; the color of honey.

It helped when so many other people danced really intensely all around them. That was what Sasuke really liked about these places. When the music was amazing like this, and when everyone danced together, it was okay to lose control, and it didn't matter if you looked silly or if you were a really good dancer, or somewhere in between. It was okay to be so close to so many other people. To be all together somehow. There was no point in being shy or nervous.

Deidara and Yahiko were dancing together. And then Konan joined them, dancing behind Deidara. He looked like he was having fun. Sasuke wondered if Yahiko and Konan had taken something tonight; they looked a bit high. Probably.

Then Suigetsu got behind Konan, dancing with his hands at her waist. He smiled as he looked over his shoulder.

"Come on, Sasuke, this is fun."

He highly doubted it. He usually preferred dancing on his own, and when he did want to dance with someone else—if they were really hot, for instance—well he sometimes had trouble matching his movements to theirs, which could be awkward. Drugs could help not caring about that kind of stuff. But he wasn't on drugs right now. He wasn't sure he could match his movements to four other people.

"Come on, Sasuke," Suigetsu insisted. "And Naruto, too…"

Well, if Naruto was going to join in…

Then maybe he could make an effort.

Sasuke held Suigetsu's hips and started to dance with him. And then Naruto stepped closer behind him. Sasuke held his breath. It was like everything else stopped existing. For a moment, there was only Naruto—only Naruto's arms slowly curling around his waist, pulling him closer until Naruto's chest touched his back.

And Naruto's hips touched his—

"Are you having fun?" Naruto asked in his ear.

_Are you kidding? Fun doesn't even begin to describe it._

"Are you drunk?" Sasuke retorted, amused.

"Maybe a little. Feels good. Been a while."

Sasuke started being aware of everything else again—the pounding electronic music, the bass making their hearts beat in sync, the flashing spotlights, the sea of bodies… Some guys were taking off their shirts.

But Naruto was still his main focus. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

"I'm glad you came," he said heatedly.

He realized they had put some distance between themselves and the others. Suigetsu danced with Konan. Deidara and Yahiko were dancing together. Long chains of dancers like that never lasted very long, anyway; it sort of just got messy. Sasuke would much rather dance alone with Naruto.

"I don't even know why I came."

Sasuke turned around in his arms, and snaked one arm around his neck as they danced, reveling in the touch of his soft golden blond hair. He looked into those eyes. And he looked at his lips. He remembered what they felt like.

"You came to return my friend's clothes," Sasuke said, a mocking smile twitching his lips.

Naruto said, "Well, I don't know why I stayed." One of his hands was at Sasuke's hip, his fingers hooked in his belt loop.

"Maybe because you like this place."

"There's too many people though," he said. Some guys bumped into them then, as if to prove him right.

"Well it's a really good DJ. But if you want to spend some time just the two of us, I wouldn't be against the idea."

"I…" Naruto swallowed, and quickly looked way, but not before Sasuke saw the lust in his eyes. "I can't," he said.

"Because you're straight."

Naruto laughed, and they were so close that Sasuke felt the vibration of his chest against his.

"It's not that… I mean. I'm not fucking straight."

Sasuke gasped dramatically. "I am _shocked_!"

"It's not funny." But he was smiling.

"Why did you pretend to be?"

"That's a long story."

"That stuff you don't want to tell me about?"

Naruto nodded. He seemed nervous all of a sudden. Sasuke sighed, and made him turn around. "It's okay," he whispered in his ear. "Tell me when you're ready. No pressure." He hugged him from behind, squeezing him tight, and he felt Naruto relax and lean into his touch. He even took Sasuke's arms and wrapped them around himself tighter, like he never wanted Sasuke to let go.

…

Before they knew it, the bar was closing. Sasuke couldn't believe it was 3 am already. It felt like someone had hit the fast forward button. They hadn't kissed. They'd just danced, sometimes together, sometimes by themselves. At some point Sasuke realized he didn't need to worry about trying to match Naruto's moves when they danced together. It sort of just worked. So that was pretty cool.

They hadn't talked much. There was no need. They'd had some more shots. Orochimaru was in a good mood because he saw that his expensive clothes had magically returned in his locker, so he gave free shots to a bunch of people. With even more tequila in his system, Naruto was in a pretty good mood, too.

"No…" Naruto was holding Sasuke's hand as they slowly progressed to make their way outside through the crowded club. "Oh, no, this sucks… I don't want to go home…"

"Then don't go home," said Sasuke.

Once they were outside Deidara took both their hands. They stood on the sidewalk, just the three of them. Sasuke was craning his neck but he had no idea where his other friends were. Deidara looked all excited.

"The night isn't over gentlemen. We're going to my party now."

"Is it an after party?" Naruto asked, tilting his head.

"Let's just say where we're going, the party never ends." He threw his head back and laughed.

"Don't do the evil laugh thing," Sasuke said, "it doesn't suit you."

"I was trying it out."

Sasuke shook his head. "Don't."

"Come on, you guys," Deidara insisted. "You'll love it. You won't have experienced anything like it before."

Just thinking about it Sasuke's heartbeat picked up. He was vaguely aware of all the other people hailing cabs or walking around them. A very soft rain had started falling. But it was as if he felt disconnected from this world already. A fire was rising within him. He _wanted_ to… He wanted to go with Deidara.

But Naruto was confused, of course.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know," Sasuke said slowly, "this is going to sound crazy. But with Deidara we were talking about it earlier, and we want to… explore the _other side_, if you know what I mean. And I'd like you to come with us."

Naruto winced and pulled away from them both. He almost stumbled on the sidewalk. But no matter how drunk, he was still scared.

"That sounds more than crazy, Sasuke. That's… insane. You can't possibly—"

Sasuke looked around, making sure no one was listening. The street was buzzing with life. With cabs taking people home. Some drunk girl was laughing way too loud. Some guy was shouting at his friend from across the street.

He leaned closer to Naruto. "I know it sounds insane. But you know it's real. We both know it is. We can't deny it. Not anymore. You just have to try again, and to ignore the fear this time. Just stay with me, and you'll be fine. It's completely different when you're not afraid. You just have to let go, and… I don't know, just… Just trust me. Do you trust me?"

"Last time some weird demonic black tree grabbed me and started rising up from the ground."

Sasuke stepped even closer, and he reached out to place his hand behind Naruto's neck, tangling his fingers in his hair. And he looked into his eyes.

"It'll be different this time."

Naruto was holding his breath. His voice was very low. "How do you know?"

"I just know."

Deidara slapped both their shoulders, making them jump. "Boys, relax. It's just a party. You don't have to stay that long, you know? I'll introduce you to Nagato. You'll thank me one day. It's good to have friends in high places. It's all about the contacts—in this world, or the next. Nagato can get you a job when you die, you know."

"How do you know I won't go to Heaven?" Naruto said, crossing his arms.

Deidara laughed. A lot. In fact, he held his stomach as though he was in pain from laughing so much.

"Oh, sweetheart. You're not going to Heaven."

"Why not?"

Sasuke just stepped back and watched the exchange, amused. He put his hands in his leather vest's pockets.

"They're pretty exclusive. They don't like immigrants."

"Whatever," Sasuke said, "guys, can we please go?" He felt very… agitated. Like he really needed to get moving, or he would go insane.

Deidara studied him. "You're addicted already, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sasuke said defensively. "I just want to go to the party."

"All right," Deidara said, and turned to Naruto. "What about you? Made up your mind? It's a really amazing party—the best you'll ever have, probably. You'll regret it if you don't come. Besides, you wouldn't want to let Sasuke go alone, right?"

Naruto sighed loudly. "Ugh, whatever. I'm so going to regret this, but let's go."

"You won't regret it," Deidara insisted, smiling. He brought them to a small service alley between two buildings, where they wouldn't be so obvious. There was colorful graffiti all over the brick walls. And a tiny black cat that stared at them before scurrying off.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Naruto sighed again. But he looked somewhat excited, too.

"Last chance to change your mind?" Deidara shrugged one shoulder.

"Oh," Sasuke said, "no. No way. You're not changing your mind. You're coming with us." And he grabbed Naruto's hand. They all held hands.

"Shall I do it, or you want to…?" Deidara looked at Sasuke.

"You do it. You know where the party is."

"Very well."

For a moment it was like they lost their senses—nothing could be seen or heard—and then the world was different. Deidara brought them to a wide and long snowy white road that ran between two streams of calm black water. And at the end of the road a tall black building towered up in the sky. They could hear music coming from it, carried by the wind, but it was all a blur.

"There's different music on every floor," Deidara explained. "It's great, you'll see. But the best music is all the way upstairs. That's Nagato's party. Let's get going, boys. Just hold hands if you're scared." He winked at them, and then he started walking.

They were already holding hands. They followed him.

"Are you scared?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"A little," Naruto said, "you?"

"No. And you shouldn't be, either. You'll be perfectly fine if you stay with me."

"Why are you so confident all of a sudden? I'm scared because we didn't leave our bodies behind this time. We're really here. Isn't that dangerous? What if something happens?"

"Nothing will happen," Sasuke insisted, squeezing his hand.

They kept advancing along that white road, and that tall building was getting closer, and the music louder. Everything seemed to be black and white here. Except for the sky, Sasuke thought as he looked up; there were large clouds made of rich violet smoke, translucent red and dark blue.

"It's beautiful," Naruto said as he followed his gaze.

"It doesn't seem real," Sasuke whispered.

"None of it seems real."

"But it is."

"What makes you so sure?"

Sasuke looked down at their linked hands. "We're here together, aren't we?"

Smiling, Naruto glanced up at Deidara, who was a few steps ahead of them. "I don't know. It's less scary if I think this is a dream."

When they got closer to that high building—which seemed to really stand in the middle of nowhere and reach up to touch the sky—Deidara stopped. Sasuke craned his neck and almost hurt himself as he looked all the way up. He saw that there were giant dark birds—or creatures—flying around it. And some of them were perched on the top floor.

As Deidara deployed his wings suddenly, Sasuke realized with a start that those weren't birds.

"See you later, girls," Deidara said before kicking himself off the white fluffy ground and flying up, opening his enormous black wings completely.

Sasuke glanced to the side, and saw that Naruto was speechless and wide-eyed.

"So he's a dark angel," he said quietly. "I really thought he was just a normal reaper."

"It's pretty recent. Come on, let's go inside."

No one stopped them as they walked in, passing the heavy metallic double doors. The ground floor was almost empty; dark gray walls, wrought iron candle holders placed at intervals, with just a few people here and there talking and sipping colorful drinks they had gotten from a small glossy bar counter in the corner. Sasuke saw the beginning of a spiral staircase and led Naruto that way. They started climbing up. The stairs seemed to be made of a beautiful black marble.

"It should take a while getting to the top, no?" Naruto asked.

"What's the problem? Worried about your cardio, Mister swimming teacher?"

"Not at all. What's your sport, anyway? You seem to be in pretty good shape yourself. Or do you just go to the gym or something?"

"I never told you that?"

"What?"

"I do rock climbing. I teach it part-time too, to beginners."

"Oh… wow. So you hate swimming. And I hate heights. We're quite the pair, aren't we?"

"Isn't it a good thing? Means we can help each other. God, the music is amazing!" Sasuke said before he could stop himself.

They kept climbing up the shiny black stairs. There were candles in wrought iron holders here too, to light up the spiral staircase that seemed to climb up infinitely. Each floor they passed had better music than the last. Sasuke's brain would later try to come up with some kind of description for the music; a sort of mix between Infected Mushroom, The Chemical Brothers, and all his other favorite artists, except times a thousand. And every time he thought it couldn't get any better, this place managed to surprise him.

"You shouldn't use the name of God here," Naruto pointed out.

"Why not?"

"Well it's pretty obvious, Sasuke. Do I really have to say it?"

Sasuke grinned. "If he minds, he can just come and tell me himself."

"You're so arrogant."

"You like it."

There were small windows at irregular intervals. When Naruto looked outside, he faltered; they had gotten pretty high already.

"Don't be scared," Sasuke said softly, pulling at his hand, "come on."

They kept going.

The top floor was amazing. That music. It was beyond music. Sasuke felt it in his bones. He felt it in his blood. He wanted to get out there. But there was a door guy. Some tall guy with dark brown hair blocked the way to the most amazing place Sasuke had ever seen. The black walls seemed to be made of crystal. Yet people leaned on them and it seemed solid enough. There were giant windows through which the dark angels were able to get in and out easily. The ceiling lamps looked like huge Chinese lanterns; some were pure white, others pale blue and violet. Sasuke had no idea where the music was coming from. But it was perfect; loud and yet not too loud. And the whole room seemed to be vibrating with the entrancing rhythms. Beautiful yet frightening crimson red flames rose up from each corner, almost licking the ceiling, delicious warmth flowing from them.

And it wasn't so much the place, it was the people. Sasuke saw girls in flowing dresses and others in tight corsets and pants, and he saw boys in black reaper gear and others in normal, trendy clothes. But it wasn't their clothes either. Young people without a trace of smugness in their eyes. They just looked… free. Like they didn't care about anything. Like they would never even think of judging someone that would pass through that door and come party with them. They would just welcome them. They would just smile.

"Welcome. My name's Kiba," the guy said. He held a list and a pen in his hands. Next to him sat a big fluffy white dog. "Oh, and this is Akamaru," he added. At first Akamaru looked friendly, but then he started growling at Naruto for no reason.

"I'm Sasuke," he said, looking around to try and spot Deidara. But he didn't see him. "And this is Naruto. We're here to meet up with our friend… He just took off flying without waiting for us, but as you can't see we haven't got any wings, so we had to take the long way up."

"You're not on the list. Also, my dog doesn't like you." Kiba narrowed his dark eyes. He wore a gray and red striped tee and black leather pants with massive boots. His arms were clad in those same fingerless gloves Sasuke had seen on Deidara several times. But Kiba didn't wear nail polish. "Are you a wolf? We don't like wolves."

"No, um," Naruto cleared his throat, eyeing the white dog warily, "I'm a fox, actually."

Kiba's expression changed right away. "A werefox? Aw, that's adorable! Those are pretty rare. I've never seen one before. Akamaru, shut up. Stop growling. He's not a werewolf." He patted his dog on the head, and he stopped growling right away. Kiba looked up at Naruto and smiled. "If you transform I'll let you in. I want to see it! Please?"

"I can't… I can only transform on full moon nights."

"Oh? But I heard your kind can usually transcend that and transform whenever they want."

Naruto shifted his weight from one foot to the other uneasily. "I haven't quite… mastered that yet."

"Stop bothering him with your questions," Sasuke said. Although he was secretly curious to see Naruto transform as well. "I'm here with Deidara. He invited us. Do you know him?"

"Never heard of him," Kiba said with a straight face. When Sasuke sighed heavily, he burst out laughing. "Just kidding! Deidara's awesome. Everyone loves him. In you go, my friends…" And Kiba let them in with a curtsey.

They were in. Inside those shimmering crystal-like walls. Sasuke couldn't help but smile. He felt so excited and his head was spinning. Like anything could happen here. And that music made him want to move so badly. Made him want to dance with Naruto.

But first, a drink. They couldn't come to such an amazing place and not try the drinks, could they? There weren't any tables or seats, but against each wall were some counters with seemingly endless colorful drinks in what looked like tall champagne flutes. Sasuke stalked across the room to the counter that seemed to have the most impressive selection of drinks. It was quite close to those crimson flames, too.

While Naruto selected two fizzy turquoise drinks Sasuke approached the flames. They came out of a metallic urn on the floor, and they elongated beautifully in the air, but they produced no smoke. They were warm but not too warm. Sasuke reached up with a hand.

Naruto tried to stop him. "You'll burn yourself…"

"I don't think so."

His long pale fingers came in contact with one of the fleeting flames. He smiled; it didn't burn him, in fact the flames felt rather soft, almost like ribbons. Crazy.

Sasuke picked up the drink Naruto was handing him. "To being here with you. I don't know if this is a dream, but this is absolutely amazing, and I'm really glad you're here."

"I'm glad I'm here too," said Naruto quietly. Almost a whisper. Surprised by his own words, clearly.

They tried the drink. And it was kind of perfect; refreshing, light and fruity—though Sasuke couldn't tell what fruits.

"This is so good!" Naruto smiled and drank all of it at once. Then he grabbed another one and started drinking it, too. "I was so thirsty."

"Maybe you should slow down," Sasuke suggested.

"Relax. I don't think there's any alcohol in there."

Well, maybe not, but there was definitely _something_ in there, because after a while of just standing together in the corner, fascinated by the warmth of the flames, this music, this place and these people—especially the ones with the wings; that wasn't something you saw everyday—Naruto became a bit more… talkative. Well, not just that.

He'd had three of those drinks. Now he wrapped his arm around Sasuke's waist, pulling him close. And he smiled. A different smile from before. He wasn't worried about anything anymore, Sasuke could tell.

"Sasuke… you're so hot."

"So are you," he said sincerely, "you're like, a ten."

"Well you're a... twenty. A hundred. I don't know. I can't give you a number," he laughed. "You're just… I don't know. Your eyes."

"What about them? They're brown." Amused, Sasuke took a sip of his drink. What did they put in there, anyway?

Naruto's hand on his waist was holding him really tightly, but he kept their faces a few inches apart, like he wanted to hug him but look at him at the same time.

"I don't know. They're… intense. Seriously, when you look at me, I just…"

Naruto definitely seemed high on whatever was in that turquoise drink.

"What?"

"No… Your eyes are like… glowing, or… smoldering."

"Smoldering?"

"Yeah. When you look at me I feel all… I feel like I'm burning inside."

_Shit._

Naruto was rubbing his hips against him.

"Come on, I think I just saw Deidara."

Grabbing Naruto's arm, he brought him to the other side of the room. The dancers made way for them, smiling, beckoning. Sasuke ignored them. Deidara had most likely been on the roof this whole time, because he was just stepping in from one of those large windows now, leaping inside the room gracefully with his wings folded behind him. He had taken off his shirt—that or it had just been ripped apart when he'd deployed his wings earlier.

Deidara smiled when he saw them, grabbing a drink for himself—a white, creamy one that looked like a pina colada.

"What's in the green ones?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Just a little aphrodisiac." Deidara was busy smoothing a strand of his blond hair when he finally noticed how Naruto was acting. He was still very much clinging to Sasuke. "Oh," Deidara said.

"Yes, _oh_. What do I do now?"

"Well," Deidara grinned, "there are little stalls next to the stairs, you probably passed them without seeing them earlier. Just ask Kiba, he'll show you…"

"That sounds good, Sasuke…" Naruto said, and he leaned closer to kiss his neck, and his ear.

_Fuck…_

"Ha," Naruto smiled, "you liked that, didn't you?" He let his lips brush his ear, and then he licked it. "Is it because of your piercings?"

"I don't want to do this Deidara, not here, not like this. It wouldn't be right."

"Suit yourself," Deidara shrugged, sipping his white drink. "But those turquoise drinks aren't that strong, you know? If he's that horny, it just means that he already was… well, you know. Really into you, mate. Good for you. You like him, don't you?"

"Mmm… I know you do," Naruto whispered as he unzipped Sasuke's leather vest.

"Your other option is to just dance it off," Deidara suggested. "It should wear off in a little while. It's a good thing you didn't drink those purple ones." He pointed at some drinks that were a rich, dark purple color.

Sasuke was kind of very turned on right now, and he was letting Naruto take off his top. As he did this, Naruto kissed his shoulder, then his neck, then his ear again… Sasuke had trouble focusing on Deidara's words. But he was still listening, somehow.

"Those are bad news," Deidara was saying. "Look, that guy probably had some."

Deidara lifted his chin toward a reaper—he was dressed as one, anyway, with the black hood and everything—that stood in the window. He had a trance-like look on his face. He spread his arms wide on both sides and smiled as he jumped. But he didn't have any wings.

Sasuke stepped forward but it was already too late.

"Shit? Why'd he do that for? Did he just jump to his death?"

"Who knows?" said Deidara dismissively.

"What happens if you die when you're already dead?"

"Who knows," he said again. "Okay, let me introduce you to Nagato. Naruto, act normal."

Naruto nodded and just held Sasuke's hand, clinging to his arm with his other hand, so that he was standing really close to him as they walked. He looked like he wasn't seeing anybody else. Just Sasuke.

Also, Sasuke realized, he was wearing his vest on top of his t-shirt.

"It smells like you," Naruto explained. "I just love your smell. I don't know if you wear perfume, or…?"

"I don't… Um, I just… I shower everyday, so that's something…"

"Oh my God… Mmm… I would date you just so I could smell you all the time."

Okay.

They followed Deidara to a group of people who all had wings. Sasuke just now realized how grand this room really was; all these people with their gigantic wings could get around without a problem. It added to the whole unrealness of this experience.

"You can date me if you want to," Sasuke said, his heart beating faster.

"Fuck, I want to. I want to be with you all the time. You have no idea."

"No, I don't. You should have told me."

"I have… issues. I don't want to talk about it right now. I don't want to think about that." He sounded almost pained, like he was fighting it.

"It's okay. We'll talk about it when you're sober."

Naruto nodded.

The beat of the music was complex in such a way that you could either dance to it really slowly, or really fast. Deidara's friends were dancing slowly. They looked like they were having fun. They looked… high, actually.

Amused, Sasuke found himself thinking: if this was Hell, then what was Heaven like? He didn't really care much for being anywhere else than here in the after life. He would have to tell Kiba to save him a slot on that list of his.

"Nagato," Deidara was saying, waving with his hands, "these are my new friends Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke's the necromancer I told you about. Naruto's a fox spirit. I know, I know, they're still alive and they're here, it's kind of weird. But considering the circumstances, and Sasuke's, um, father, if you can call it that, you know. Well, Sasuke, Naruto, this is Nagato, my… my boss, I guess."

He laughed. Nagato was laughing, too. He was tall, skinny and handsome with reddish black wings and hair of the same color. He wasn't wearing a shirt. His long legs were clad in calf high boots and tight dark pants with black straps all around them. And a massive belt wrapped his hips, holding several sheathed daggers and knives. Countless black and red bracelets clothed his thin white arms.

"Just your boss?" He approached Deidara and parted his lips like he wanted to say something more, his eyes raking him up and down. His eyes were changing color depending on the light; gray, green, blue, or somewhere in between.

His fingers found Deidara's waist. Then, they crept up his back and seemed to be stroking the beginning of Deidara's wings.

Deidara looked… turned on. "Nagato stop…" he said but he was smiling. "I really wanted you to meet Sasuke. Be serious for a second."

"Right." He turned to look at Sasuke. "Nice to meet you. I never actually met your father. He had quite the terrible reputation, but Deidara told me you're not like him at all."

"I wouldn't know. I never met the guy."

"Let's hope you never have to."

"So you're Deidara's boss, then?"

Nagato nodded slowly.

"And that makes you… what?" Sasuke asked, intrigued.

Naruto was behaving himself for now. Still clinging to Sasuke, but listening to what they were saying. He was swaying his hips a bit though, and moving his knee, too… He wanted to dance. They would dance soon. Sasuke squeezed his hand. Naruto squeezed back.

Nagato bit his lip and smiled. Without looking down, his hand found Deidara's and their fingers laced slowly. Deidara didn't pull away.

"Let's just say now you know someone very… important."

One of the people among Nagato's friends—a short Asian girl with inky black hair and a corseted dress with slits specially made for her wings—laughed at this.

She looked at Sasuke. "You can call him a higher demon, if you must choose a word for it. Or a prince of Hell. Or…?" She looked at her friends. They were all just dancing, and they didn't seem to care much. "What else could we call it?"

"Prince of Hell sounds good," Deidara said, laughing. They were standing close to a window. A soft, refreshing wind blew in, making the flames dance in the corner, and also making Deidara's hair hide his face partly.

Nagato reached up to tuck the blond strands behind his ears. "It sounds silly."

"Come on, Sasuke." Naruto was getting impatient. "Let's dance, okay?"

He wasn't going to argue with that.

They spent the next hour or so dancing next to Deidara and Nagato and their friends. They didn't talk. They didn't drink more. They just danced. Sometimes they were dancing really fast, and other times they slowed the pace and leaned into each other more. And they kissed, and smiled through it, because it was amazing and so simple and perfect. The sweetest, most delicious thing.

So they kissed some more. Sasuke was starting to feel it. That thing in the fizzy turquoise drinks. Euphoria. Warmth. Touching Naruto's skin became really fascinating. And Naruto was touching him all over, too. They couldn't stop.

Well, fuck, if that stuff wasn't strong, as Deidara had said earlier, then what was the strong stuff like? Damn.

Dancing with Naruto was electric. It was giving him such a rush. He had never been with someone that better fit his body and his every move like that.

"You're amazing," he said to Naruto softly.

"You're amazing. I just… I couldn't tell you before." His blue eyes were full of desperate desire as he looked at him, fingers in his belt loops to pull him closer in a swift movement. "But… you're an amazing person. And you're beautiful. And you're strong, and you… you're mysterious. I want to get to know you more, so much more, and… Oh my God, this is amazing. I love this music _so_ much. What was I saying?"

Definitely high.

At some point they wandered a bit closer to the window as they danced. That girl from before—the one with the black hair and corset—saw them and asked them if they wanted to go on the roof with her.

"Hell yeah," Naruto said.

Sasuke looked at him, surprised. "You're not afraid?"

"No, I'm not." He laughed. "I'm really not."

Sasuke smiled, and glanced at the girl. She nodded.

"I'm Jun by the way. Chicago reaper. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Naruto, New York fox spirit," Naruto said, laughing at the odd introduction. "Nice to meet you too."

But Jun ignored him. She looked up at Sasuke.

"So you're the guy whose father got possessed by Malachy." She added, "I met him a few times. I didn't like him."

"Why am I not surprised?" Sasuke replied. "So his name was Malachy?"

She stepped closer to the window. "You didn't know?"

"No one tells me nothing."

All three of them went to stand on the windowsill, Naruto and Sasuke on either side of her, holding her arms. She bent over and extended her large, powerful wings. They were all black, dark violet and red. They were beautiful. She jumped, and they fell with her. It really felt like they were falling at first, and Sasuke's stomach did a lurch like in a roller coaster—only much more intense. But then she was batting her wings and flying up, turning around so they could land softly on the roof.

"Tell me when you want to go back," she said simply and left them to go meet some other dark angels at the other end of the roof.

This was beautiful. Sasuke just sighed dreamily and let himself fall back. The roof seemed to be made of that same crystalline black material. It was cool but not cold as he lay down on his bare back. Naruto sat and then lay down next to him. They just looked at the sky for a moment, speechless. It was the same colors as Jun's wings; endless black with deep violet and dark red clouds. There was no moon but somehow they could see.

"So unreal," Sasuke whispered.

"It's frightening," Naruto said, "but I'm not scared."

"Me neither."

He turned to the side, and looked at Naruto. He was a little cold. Without looking at him—without needing to—Naruto reached out with his arm to wrap it around Sasuke and bring him closer. Sasuke curled up against him and rested his head on Naruto's shoulder. It felt warm and safe and perfect, to be with him like this.

"Are you tired?" Naruto asked softly.

"Not really. But I could sleep like this."

"Me too. But you know, there's something missing."

Sasuke had closed his eyes. He just wanted to keep listening to Naruto's voice. "What?"

"The stars."

"Mm… you're right."

"And the moon. I know it's a moonless night. But here there's just… nothing in the sky. I wouldn't want to be here all the time, you know? For one night it's okay, and I know we had so much fun but… I want to go back to the real world."

"Mm… yeah. Me too."

"I do wish there were stars here. You know, I went on vacation once, with Itachi and mom and dad. To the country side. I was just a kid. I absolutely loved it. I would spend the day climbing trees, and I would sneak out at night so I could lie down outside and look at the stars. And once I tried to climb a really high tree, in the middle of the night, so I could see the stars from even closer. But as I reached the top of the tree, I slipped and—"

"You fell? That's why you've been afraid?"

Naruto breathed in deeply, then out. Sasuke could feel his chest moving. He could feel his heartbeat. It was still a bit fast from all that dancing, but it was calming now.

"I broke like, every bone in my body. Some strangers found me in the morning. I freaked out. I didn't want to go with them. I wanted my parents. My mother. I knew she could save me. Even as a little kid, I already knew she had… abilities. Powers."

"What happened?"

"Those people took me to a hospital. I passed out so I couldn't tell them to wait for my family first."

"Did they help you at the hospital?"

"They put me through endless surgery. It was horrible. I kept waking up through it."

Sasuke shuddered and pulled away so he could look at him. He leaned onto his elbow and kept one hand on Naruto's chest.

"You kept waking up during surgery?"

A tear threatened to fall from Naruto's eye. "Yeah. It was absolutely horrible. And the doctors were freaking out. They gave me more anesthetic, but then they said if they gave me more I would die. At some point they decided to just stop operating. I was in way too much pain. I almost died."

"But, why—?"

"My mom and dad came to take me out of there. I was hospitalized at home instead. My mom used different medicine, of course. Spells and just… letting my body heal with its own abilities. And it worked… She said that… most of the time with supernatural creatures you can't use normal medicine. We don't react well to it. It's better to use witchcraft."

Sasuke didn't know what to say. He just pressed himself against Naruto again, hugging him awkwardly. But it was okay. Naruto wrapped his arms around him, and he held him close. That was all he needed right now.

They didn't really know how much time passed. Time sort of had no meaning here.

But eventually they started feeling a little cold. So they got up and asked Jun to get them back inside. So she did. She didn't mind.

Right away they realized something was off. People weren't dancing anymore.

Most of them just stood and stared at the entrance. Sasuke and Naruto advanced through the crowd and found Nagato and Deidara. Following their gazes, Sasuke saw that Kiba had been pushed to the floor. He looked hurt. His big white dog—Akamaru, Sasuke remembered—was barking, but he hesitated to attack.

Two people stood menacingly in front of everybody else. A tall girl with curly blonde hair and a red-headed young man with dark eyes. Sasuke felt something he hadn't felt in a while as he recognized the girl; fear.

That was Temari. And the guy next to her was probably—

"Sasori," Deidara said. "What are you doing here? I don't think Nagato invited you."

Nagato's reddish black wings gleamed in the dim light. Those shiny red flames still danced in each corner of the crystalline room. When the music stopped it all seemed so odd—all those ethereal people with silent energy pulsing through the air. It was like it made no sense now, and Sasuke expected to wake up any moment. Like the music had been the only thing holding it all together.

"No," said Nagato, crossing his arms, "no, I didn't invite him."

...

Author's note: As always, thank you so very much for the reviews, I get so anxious every time, hoping you guys are enjoying this! Plus you guys write really helpful criticism too so thanks^^ Helps me get better at this whole writing thing.

There were originally a lot of OCs in my story, just because I unfortunately don't like that many Narutoverse characters. Let me know if you see weird names popping up (like, Yahiko and Konan used to be OCs, but I changed that and I think I fixed everything, but I could've let one slip)

But yeah Jun and Malachy are gonna stay OCs because I really just ran out of Naruto characters I want to use. I considered Sakura but I hate Sakura and I don't care for trying to give her a decent personality, lol. I considered some vilains but I don't like Madara or Obito. Like, even as vilains. They suck so much it makes me depressed. I don't know. Just go with it you guys you won't regret it ;-)


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

_He will never have true friends who is afraid of making enemies. _

Awkward…

"You," Sasori said with a threatening tone and a finger pointed at Nagato, "you promoted him," the finger moved toward Deidara, "and not me."

"Wow, Sasori." Nagato arched an eyebrow. "That's very mature of you."

Laughter vibrated across the room.

"You're biased. Your decision isn't based on a professional opinion. This is favoritism."

People went quiet after hearing this. Sasori was very serious. In fact, his entire persona screamed of strictness and coldness—his eyes were brown but they could've been ice blue and they wouldn't have been any colder. He wore the black reaper clothes. He wasn't very tall. Standing next to him in her red heels, Temari was a few inches taller. When she saw Sasuke glancing her way, she blew him a kiss. Sasuke smiled at her. What? It was either that or doing nothing and letting her think that she was intimidating him. Which she wasn't.

The silence was heavy. Sasuke supposed this party wouldn't last forever after all. They could hear the music playing from the floor below, but it was faint.

"That's a very serious accusation," Nagato said, his voice deep and calm.

"I'm well aware," Sasori replied. He had a hand on his sword, which was sheathed at his belt. Sasuke frowned as he noticed there seemed to be blood on Sasori's hand, and some more staining the hilt of the sword, too. He bet that blood wasn't Sasori's.

"I can assure you," Nagato was saying, "that my decision was strictly professional. I like the way Deidara works. We need more like him. Too many let their powers get to their heads these days."

"You like the way he works? Yeah, right. You like the way he pleases you in bed."

Nagato paled. A few people in the room stifled their comments. Deidara stood awkwardly, some of his pale hair hiding his face.

Sasuke had to give it to Sasori: Nagato and Deidara didn't look too credible standing together like this. With their shirts off.

Suddenly Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm. He was looking toward Kiba and his dog.

"He's crying," Naruto said and Sasuke realized he was talking about the dog. "I think that guy's really hurt."

Before he could stop him, Naruto ran past the two party crashers and went to sit next to Kiba.

"He's bleeding," Naruto said, and now everyone turned their attention to him.

"Sasori must have stabbed him," Sasuke added. "There's blood on his sword."

Nagato stepped forward menacingly, his wings spreading a bit in a rustling of dark red feathers. His pale hand grabbed hold of one of the daggers at his belt. It was pure white with a single emerald-like gem embedded in the blade. It was small and delicate, but Sasuke's instincts told him this weapon was probably bad news.

There was a wave of whispers among Nagato's guests.

"You stabbed one of my friends with a reaper blade? You come to my party, and…" Nagato took a deep breath. He was pissed; not the alcohol kind, well maybe that too, but mostly the angry kind. "How _dare_ you?"

Temari was stepping back, and she silently motioned for Sasori to do the same. But he held his ground.

Sasuke swiftly glanced to the side at Naruto, just to see what he was up to. It seemed he was tending to Kiba's wound.

"This isn't over, gentlemen." Sasori smirked. "This was just a warning."

"How impertinent," Jun said, "you should just kill him, Nagato."

_Yes. That would be good._

But Nagato just held his dagger and did nothing. Damn it.

"He can't just kill me. I've got friends in high places, too. In fact, someone is coming back. Someone _his father_," Sasori now pointed directly at Sasuke, still with that annoying mocking smirk on his face, "was dumb enough to kill. But some people aren't that easy to get rid off. I'm just delivering the good news. But you probably knew already, right, Nagato? Trying to have one last party before someone comes in and puts you in your place? I hope you knew you couldn't just keep doing whatever you wanted and always get away with it. Let's go, Temari." He put his hand on her back as they turned away. And they left.

The silence broke. Everyone started talking at once, looking at one another, interrogating Nagato, wondering what was going on, and speculating.

"Who do you think it is?"

"Is it true, Nagato?"

"Someone Malachy killed? He's gonna have to be more specific…"

"Could he be bluffing?"

"It's probably true…"

"But I thought we weren't letting anyone come back from Purgatory anymore."

"So does this mean there's gonna be a new higher demon?"

"Why didn't you tell us, Nagato?"

"Why didn't you tell _me_?" Deidara asked.

Sasuke's head hurt too much if he tried to make sense of it all, so he ignored them all—though he couldn't help being annoyed because he really was starting to wonder who the fuck his asshole demon father was, anyway—and he went to see how Naruto was doing instead. Or rather, how Kiba was doing.

"Are you… healing him?" asked Sasuke incredulously.

Naruto was bent over Kiba with his hands pressed on his wound. Sasori had aimed for the heart. There was a pool of blood spreading on the floor under Kiba, and it seemed he was clinging to life only thanks to Naruto. There was a warm aura around Naruto, pale gold and almost imperceptible. But Sasuke could feel it. It felt pure and comforting and safe, like… like something that didn't belong here, actually.

It was still a mystery to Sasuke—all of it. This other dimension that seemed like a dream—or a nightmare sometimes. And how people died and came here, but then could be killed again. Sasuke supposed people were given a second chance. And what Sasori had done—a cruel, meaningless thing—would have cost Kiba that second chance, if it weren't for Naruto. But how was he healing him?

Deidara came to stand next to Sasuke and they were both looking down at the scene before them, confused. Wondering if this would work. Nagato was glancing their way, too, but he was drowned in questions already. He had to deal with his other friends.

"I'd heard some fox spirits could do that," Deidara said slowly, "but I'd never seen it myself before. It's amazing."

Naruto seemed to be getting weaker, though. His hands and arms were trembling as he continuously applied pressure to Kiba's wound. And he looked like he was in pain. Sasuke hurried to his side and grabbed his shoulder, squeezing it.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think I can do this. Just a little more…"

Kiba was waking up. He gasped for air. "I thought I was dead."

"You _are_ dead," Deidara teased gently.

"You know what I mean." He sighed, and grabbed Naruto's arms. "It's okay, it's okay, that's enough. You saved me… Thank you. Oh, no, did Akamaru do this? I'm so sorry."

At once Sasuke saw that Naruto had quite a nasty bite on his arm. It was still bleeding, too; some of that blood on Kiba's chest and on the floor was Naruto's, then.

Sasuke glared at Akamaru. "That stupid dog—"

"No," Naruto said weakly, clinging to Sasuke. He was very pale. "It's not his fault. He probably thought I was going to hurt him. But then he saw that I was just trying to save him, and he let me."

Kiba sat up and put an arm around his dog protectively. "Yeah, he didn't know any better."

But now Naruto was hurt. He looked so weak. He looked up at Sasuke and tried to say something, but then he just fell in his arms. His body was all limp.

"Did he just pass out? Oh, I'm sorry…" With one arm still around his dog, Kiba crawled away like he was afraid Sasuke would hit him or something.

Sasuke looked up at Deidara.

"I think," Deidara said thoughtfully, "the fact that Naruto was bleeding is what allowed him to heal Kiba. A connection through their blood. It's a type of witchcraft. So either Akamaru was trying to protect Kiba like Naruto said, or, he knew, somehow, so he made sure that Naruto was bleeding so he could save him. Either way, Naruto didn't pass out from just the bite. Clearly he's too weak to perform this type of dark magic without his own body getting hurt in the process. Could be from just lack of practice, or… something else."

"What do you mean something else?" asked Sasuke.

"I'll tell you another time." Deidara looked over his shoulder toward Nagato worriedly. "You need to get out of here. Take Naruto home. Make sure he's okay."

"You don't have to tell me that."

"You can do it, right?"

"Yeah just give me your sword."

Deidara rolled his eyes. "You don't actually need to cut yourself open to do it, Sasuke. Enough people have been hurt already. Come on, look, isn't there enough inspiration for you?"

Sasuke considered the puddle of blood on the floor. Yeah, okay. He could do this.

"We don't normally do that sort of thing here," Deidara waved his hand about, "because it's a bit impolite. Gets black smoke all over the place. But under the circumstances…"

"Yeah," Sasuke said, holding Naruto close, "we're leaving. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Yeah," Deidara said back, "see you soon."

Sasuke focused on the blood, and it started to shimmer as everything else around blurred. He tried to remember as many details as he could from Naruto's bedroom; the mess of stuff on the bed, desk and floor, the piles of clothes on the chairs, the pale green and dark orange walls, but he couldn't really remember much else.

And they ended up on the street.

Well. But at least they were on the right street. Sasuke was kneeling on the cold sidewalk pavement with Naruto still in his arms. Thankfully there weren't any people nearby. It was still night. But Sasuke had a feeling the morning wasn't too far, unfortunately. He heard some cars driving by and looked behind, seeing the familiar street corner where the cab had dropped them off on that first night—only two weeks ago, but it felt longer.

Naruto was waking up. He moaned and pushed himself off of Sasuke, trying to stand. But his legs were very shaky.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke stayed very close to him.

He rubbed under his eyes and then ran his hands through his messy blond hair. "I'm fine. That was… crazy."

"Yeah."

"Seriously…" Naruto sighed, and shook his head. He looked at the buildings lining the street—some shops and stores with apartments on the higher floors. "It always feels like it was all just a dream afterwards. Like it wasn't real."

"We need to get you home," Sasuke stepped closer carefully, "and take care of your arm. Okay?"

Naruto looked at his arm and winced as he saw the blood there. He stumbled on a crack in the sidewalk and almost fell. But Sasuke steadied him. No way he was letting him get hurt again.

And Naruto just squeezed his eyes shut and wrapped his arms around Sasuke.

"I thought it wasn't real. I thought it was some sort of dream."

Sasuke sighed as he held him back. "It can't be a dream if we both had the same one."

"I don't want to go back there."

He felt a pang of guilt. Sharp. And it hurt.

But he had to admit that it was weird being back here, in the normal city street, with the lampposts casting a dull yellow-ish light. Sasuke shivered. The wind was unusually cold for the end of March, and it carried the scent of rain.

Naruto pulled away slightly, so he could look at him. As he tried to take off the leather vest so he could give it back to Sasuke, the pain in his arm made him wince. Sasuke stopped his movements, holding his arms, then his hands. Their eyes met.

"Keep it, for now. Let's just get you home."

He nodded, but he didn't move. He leaned closer, and he kissed Sasuke, just like that. It was soft, and sweet, and so brief, but it sent shivers all over Sasuke's body—a different kind of shivers.

The wind blew in their hair. Sasuke's eyes opened—he hadn't realized he had closed them. "What was that for?" he whispered.

"I… don't blame you. Don't feel guilty, okay?"

His hands slid from Sasuke's and they started walking, side by side, but without touching.

"You're very perceptive," Sasuke said quietly, "you know that?"

"I try."

They made it safely to Naruto's apartment, without anyone calling the cops on Sasuke for indecent exposure, and also without waking Itachi once they were in, which was great because Naruto said that he was really tired from working too much lately.

A few minutes later they were in Naruto's bedroom with some disinfectant and bandages, and Sasuke was taking care of Naruto's arm as they sat on the bed.

He tried to memorize as many details as he could from Naruto's bedroom this time. Just random things. He saw that in the corner, next to the closet—which was open and overflowing with stuff—he kept all his converse sneakers. He had at least five pairs, all in different colors.

Another thing he noticed right away, and he wondered how he had not seen this the first time: there were some plushies lined on the shelves over the desk, and some more also rested on the dresser. There were definitely some foxes there, and some dogs, cats, that sort of thing.

"My dad bought me those when I was a kid," Naruto said.

Amused, Sasuke replied, "It's okay, you don't have to explain."

"I want to." The corners of his lips twitched into a smile. "It was the funniest thing. He really liked those sorts of things. As long as I was a kid, he had an excuse. And then when I wasn't a kid anymore, he kept buying them anyway. He just told everyone I really liked them. And we all played along. I mean, how am I supposed to get rid of them now?"

Sasuke finished bandaging his arm, and looked up at him, to see if he was crying or something. But his blue eyes were dry. And he was staring right back.

_You said something about my eyes earlier, but yours are just—_

Naruto let his hand slowly climb up to Sasuke's neck, and he pulled him into another one of those sweet but somehow really intense kisses. Another one of those short-lived moments. Sasuke felt something break inside him. He wanted to throw himself at Naruto. He wanted to lash out somehow, to rip his clothes off and to turn the whole bedroom into even more of a mess and to just be with him, he wanted it so badly that it _hurt_.

"You know," Naruto said, "I really like you." He pulled his legs up and folded them under himself, rustling the sheets.

"I'm starting to get the hint that you do."

"I lied to you," Naruto's eyes wandered down, "on the first night. When I said it would be my first kiss… I have been with someone else before, kind of, it's just… I wanted to forget. About that. To pretend like it never happened. Cause it wasn't great." His tone was somewhat desperate, like he really needed Sasuke to understand this.

"Whoa, was this person such a bad kisser?" Sasuke said teasingly, on a light tone. But it felt forced, so he stopped, and cleared his throat. "Thanks for telling me the truth."

Naruto looked like he might want to say something else, but then he checked his cell phone.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked. He checked his phone, too. Might as well. The first thing he saw was that he had about fifty texts from Suigetsu. What the fuck? Had something happened?

He panicked at first, but then he saw that they were all just stupid texts.

'Where are you?' 'I'm bored.' 'I miss you.' 'When are you coming home?' 'Where are you, anyway?' 'Are you with some guy?' 'Are you with Naruto?' 'Tonight was fun. Gay clubs are so much better than straight ones. You were right!' 'Of course you were right. You're always right. You're the best!'

_I am so never bringing anyone back from the dead, ever again._

But Naruto was freaking out for a different reason. "I have to start getting ready for work, like, right now. I don't even have time to sleep."

Sasuke checked his phone again—he had checked it without really checking the time just now; that always happened. It was 6 am already.

"Shit. How early do you work?"

"The first class is at eight. But I have to be there early."

"Are you gonna be okay? You look so tired." He reached up with a hand to brush Naruto's hair away from his face. His eyes were a bit red.

"I'll be fine. I'll just drink a shit ton of coffee, or something."

"I'll let you get ready, then. I should probably go home, anyway. I have to work too. I'm not sure I'll have much time to sleep, either."

"Do you work at your two jobs today?"

"Yeah."

"Me too," Naruto said.

"How do you even find time for homework?"

"I don't," he admitted, laughing.

"Oh. Wow…"

"Hey don't you dare lecture me! I already have a big brother. Who also happens to be your brother. Huh. This'll be really weird."

"Let's not… bring that up now."

"You're right. Text me today all right? Let me know if you don't die from exhaustion or anything."

"Same to you."

He got his vest thingy back, and put it on, and then Naruto walked with him to the door, and… Yeah, well, this was the boring part, wasn't it?

"You look really depressed," Naruto said.

"…"

"Would… one last one… make you feel better?"

"It might…"

So they kissed one last time.

And then one more time.

…

Suigetsu was seriously starting to annoy him. On Sunday morning Sasuke was just minding his own business, making some tea in the kitchen. He had some time before going to work; despite his extreme tiredness he hadn't been able to catch up on his sleep properly. He just kept making weird dreams he couldn't even remember, then going back to sleep, then waking up again and looking at the time and seeing stupid annoying numbers like 3:36, 4:05, 4:41, and so on… Followed by an episode of sleep paralysis, during which his demon father, whom apparently his subconscious pictured as some kind of freaky alien with big black eyes—he blamed his overly creative brain—came to threaten him and torment him and stuff.

Stupid subconscious.

In the kitchen Suigetsu was pouring himself a bowl of cereal.

"Why are you up so early?" Sasuke asked.

Heavy sigh. "I need to study…"

"So you're playing online with your friends later and you're trying to fit in some studying before _they_ get up?"

"Exactly. Hey, that's dangerous. Let me do it for you."

Suigetsu pushed him out of the way and grabbed the kettle so he could pour the hot water for Sasuke.

See? Annoying.

"Do you want to carry it for me, too, while you're at it?"

He was kidding, obviously, but Suigetsu did it anyway. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

They had a tiny round white table with two matching chairs in their kitchen but they never ate there. They either ate in the living room in front of something they were watching on Suigetsu's laptop, or in their respective bedrooms. So Sasuke made a weird face when Suigetsu put down both the cup of tea and his bowl of cereal on the table.

"I want to talk to you," Suigetsu explained, and motioned for him to sit.

"Sounds serious. Are you pregnant?"

"Ha, no." But he wasn't laughing. He just looked nervous. Also he wasn't eating his cereal.

"If it's about the pack of gum and lighter you stole from me Friday night, I already know. It's no big deal."

"Oh yeah… sorry about that."

"I just hope that doesn't become a regular thing again."

Suigetsu had developed a tendency for kleptomania when he was a few years younger and his parents had paid for therapy, which had seemed to work. He hadn't done that kind of thing in a while, anyway.

"No, no… I mean, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Then what?"

Suigetsu stared at his cereal. "I've been feeling very… I've been having… feelings… about you… I mean, I've been thinking about you, a lot, and—"

Oh God. "Suigetsu, stop…"

"No, you don't understand. I'm very serious. I know you're into this Naruto guy, and everything, but I had to tell you." He started talking really quickly. "I just—I know it's weird, and completely out of nowhere, but I can't stop thinking about you, and I know how you always say we're like brothers—"

"_You_ say that."

"But we're not actually blood related. So if you could just give me a chance. I know you better than anyone. And I've always been very supportive. I helped my parents come to terms with you being gay, remember? So I think—"

What was he talking about? "Your parents never had a problem with me being gay."

"I think you should really give me a chance, because—"

"I think you'll find I was the one helping them come to terms with you being a brony."

"Sasuke please stop interrupting me. I'm trying to tell you something important. I think I'm really falling in—"

"Shut up! Stop. You're not falling in love with me, damn it. I'm going to tell you the truth…"

He had no choice.

And besides, Suigetsu had a right to know.

Right.

This wasn't the easiest thing to explain, though. Now he understood Naruto better for just tossing his mother's journal at him that time. Now he wished he had Kushina's journal. He bet Suigetsu would read the whole thing, too, if he asked him to.

Whatever.

Sasuke took a sip of tea. Ouch. Still too hot.

"I told you that was dangerous," Suigetsu said.

"Shut up." He sighed and dropped his arms across the table, trying to think. Suigetsu took his hands.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me…"

"Ew, Suigetsu, stop…" Sasuke pulled his hands back, and put his head in them instead, massaging the back of his neck.

"Okay, listen, the thing is… there's something supernatural going on here. The feelings you have, they're not real feelings. They're an after effect. Of something I did. Well, I had no choice…"

"I'm not really following."

"Of course you're not." Okay. He had to go for a more direct approach. "I'm a necromancer. And I'm friends with this idiot reaper who thought it would be a good idea to kill you so I could bring you back to life by using my powers for the first time. Now you're obsessed with me, but he said it would fade." Sasuke looked up. "Any questions?"

Suigetsu was making a very confused face. Like he wasn't sure if he should laugh or freak out or scream.

"Are you a vampire?"

Ugh…

"No. Necromancer."

"A necromancer?"

If they could maybe just stop saying that word…

"It's pretty recent."

"You can bring people back from the dead?"

"Apparently."

"Have you done it to other people?"

"No. You're the only one."

"Don't you want to bring more people back? Your parents? I don't know… How about Naruto's parents?"

"I haven't really thought about it. I don't think that's how it works… It's been too long, so there's the issue of explaining to everyone else how they're alive…"

"Oh, yeah… So you have a reaper friend?"

"Yeah."

"Does he look like the shinigami from Death Note?"

"Not exactly. You've met him. It's Deidara."

"The British shemale?"

Ha! Nice.

"Yeah."

"How?"

"What?"

"How is he a reaper? How are you a necromancer? I don't—"

"From what I understand, Deidara died and eventually got this gig. And I… My father was possessed by a demon so… I seem to have some unusual… powers."

Suigetsu's eyes were really big, but he seemed to be taking this rather well, considering.

"How come you only know about this now? Or did you know before?"

"No… Itachi and Naruto were keeping the whole thing secret. They wanted me to have a normal life. Until it got too difficult to… hold on to those powers for me. So they had no choice but to let me have them. So far I'm doing okay, I guess. I haven't turned into a demon, as far as I know."

"Shit…" Suigetsu leaned back in his seat.

"Yeah. How do you even believe me? It all sounds so insane, even to me."

He blinked. "You're right. It does. But I don't know. I just believe you."

"Oh, okay. Well that's convenient, I guess."

"Maybe it's due to this whole bond between necromancer and…" He waved his hand back and forth between them. "What am I, anyway?"

"I'd rather not use a word for—"

"Minion, like in Diablo? Servant? Underling? Slave? Oh, should I call you Master?"

"No, what the fuck. Might as well buy you a leash and start going to fetish events while we're at it…"

Suigetsu shrugged. Like he wasn't completely against the idea.

"You're my friend, okay. Just my friend."

"Okay." He looked a little disappointed.

"This is weird. I'm going to work." He would just grab a bagel later or something.

"Wait!" Suigetsu followed him to the bathroom. Sasuke slammed the door shut, but he didn't let that stop him. He just yelled through the door. "What happens now? Are you bringing more people back?"

"No." Sasuke leaned against the sink counter. He had dark circles under his eyes.

"You should! You should bring back famous people. You could bring Heath Ledger back. And that guy from Glee, that was so sad."

"Suigetsu… No."

…

Konan was done for the day. And Yahiko had left a bit early. Sasuke had to wait about an hour, in case some more people came by for piercings, and then he could close the shop.

It was so boring without those two. Plus Yahiko had taken his laptop with him so there was no music. Sasuke sat at the chair and looked around the place. It was clean enough. The tattoo design books were neatly placed on the coffee table in the waiting area. The curtain was drawn on the separate space they always kept very clean and tidy for piercings. Sasuke had already helped Konan clean her tattoo stall earlier.

His eyes hurt.

All those tattoo designs on the walls seemed to be glaring at him from all directions. Sasuke folded his arms on the desk and closed his eyes, resting his head just for a few moments.

Eventually he was poked awake by someone.

"Hey, are you okay? The door was open, you know." A masculine voice said.

Sasuke had been in the middle of some freaky dream again, so when the guy poked him repeatedly and woke him up, he was still somewhat scared from the dream—in which he had been running away from something, but that was all he could remember—so he fell off his chair like an idiot.

Fucking hell.

He scrambled up to his feet and cleared his throat, replacing his shirt—which he now noticed he was wearing inside out.

Man, he was such a mess today. Honestly.

"Can I help you?"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Perfectly fine, thank you."

The guy didn't look too sure, but he didn't push it. He was an athletic looking guy with very short brown hair and really dark, almost black eyes.

"I just wanted some information."

"Okay, no problem."

He asked some very strange, and useless questions, like if their tattoos were really permanent, and if they guaranteed that it would heal properly or his money back, and if he could go swimming right after getting it.

"No, you can't…"

"All right, well, I don't think I'll get one. But thanks."

"Sure…"

He stared at Sasuke with his creepy black eyes, and then left. Sasuke yawned and stretched his arms. What a waste of his time. Still, that could've been dangerous. Someone could've just walked in and stolen a bunch of stuff.

Sasuke carefully checked all the jewelry in the glass displays before closing the store. Nothing seemed out of place.

And off he was. On to the next job. He was teaching Ino this evening. Great.

…

Well, Ino wasn't that bad. She was getting better. But the problem with a one on one class like this was that they had to take turns if she was ever going to learn to be a good belayer. That was part of the sport.

Now it was Sasuke's turn to climb again, but he was getting really bored with those beginner walls.

"You know what? Do you mind if I do one of the more difficult ones?"

Ino beamed. "Of course I don't mind! If you trust me."

"Sure, you can do it."

So they moved to the higher walls. The ones with a bunch of overhangs and ledges, and barely any holds at the top. It was tricky, but he had done it before. Besides, if he fell, it would be good practice for Ino. He wasn't that heavy. She would be just fine.

They made sure the gear was all set, and Ino gave him lots of slack at first because he was climbing rather quickly. The silence was annoying. Not enough music in his life today. And Ino wasn't very strong on conversation. She mostly just stared at him and smiled at him.

"Is it okay if I keep going?" he asked, looking down at her. "You're not too bored?"

"No, no, it's fine!" she smiled. "Keep going! I want to see you reach the top!"

"I'll try, at least," he smiled back. She was all right, he supposed. And she was a good belayer, actually. She had picked it up rather quickly, giving the rope either slack or tension when needed. Maybe he was actually good at teaching this thing.

At some point she kept the rope locked as she saw that he struggled to find a hold. There were almost just really small crimps left this high up.

But he managed. He was almost at the top, way up in the last quarter of the wall. He was okay to keep going now, but she wasn't giving him any slack, even though he had already asked for it.

"Ino, what are you—?"

He winced when he heard her scream—a horrible, high-pitched, blood-curdling scream—followed by a gun shot.

Panicked, Sasuke looked down to see what was going on. He almost lost his hold on the wall, but it was a good thing he didn't, because no one was holding that rope now.

Ino had been shut in the chest, and now she lay on the floor with blood all over the place. The young man who was holding the gun—clad in some neat black suit—was awfully familiar.

Temari's brother. The tall one with the brown hair. Kankuro. What was he doing here? How had he found him? Was he being stalked now?

The cleaning staff was supposed to be at the gym tonight. Where the hell were they? Had Kankuro shot them, too?

Fuck… Ino. Sasuke really wanted to be angry, but right now he was just panicked, and frozen. He had a gun pointed at him for the second time in a week, and the feeling wasn't great. In fact, he felt rather incredibly sick.

He couldn't move. Kankuro, all happy with himself, had taken the rope out of Ino's now useless equipment and he was holding it. He kept the gun aimed at him the whole time and warned him not to move. Sasuke was about thirty five feet up in the air. He had no idea if Kankuro was a good enough shooter to get him, but he wasn't particularly eager to find out.

Sasuke's muscles were really aching and trembling, though. Despite the chalk dust on his hands, they were about to slip. He wanted to start climbing down—he had no choice. But Kankuro threatened him again. His voice resonated through the empty gym.

"Don't move. I don't want you to climb down, got it? Temari said not to kill you, but she didn't say a thing about shooting your leg."

"I can't hold on any more," Sasuke said.

"Then let go," Kankuro taunted, "I want to see you dangle in the air."

Oh, great. Not humiliating at all. Sasuke held onto the wall for as long as he could. But soon enough his hands slipped.

Kankuro got what he wanted. That seemed to make him really happy. He was laughing, anyway, holding the ropes with one hand to keep Sasuke up there, and aiming his gun with the other.

"Nice," he said, "moving target." Then he tugged at the rope to mock him. "So if I drop this, you're pretty much dead, then?"

Sasuke was working on that. If he could just get a little closer to the wall, he could grab those crimps again, untie the rope, and climb down without it. That was dangerous, but still better than this… Kankuro might kill him anyway. Might as well die with as much dignity as he could.

His attention was brought elsewhere, though, as a familiar dark smoke curled in circles around Ino. The next instant Temari stood there, wearing bright red clothes with her blonde curls all wild and free, like a halo around her head.

She bent over Ino and Sasuke couldn't really see what she was up to, but he had a pretty good idea.

"Afraid of the dark," Temari said flatly, "can you believe it? So dull. I wish people's worst fears were more creative."

Then Ino woke up.

"It's all right, sweetheart." Temari caressed Ino's hair and helped her to sit up. "You're okay now. You're with me."

_Oh, no… No, no, no…_

Sasuke must have said one of those out loud without realizing it, because Temari looked up at him. She laughed, much like her brother had done earlier.

"Oh, Sasuke, look at you up there, all helpless."

_Yeah why don't you rub it in some more you bitch._

"Well done, Kankuro. Just tie the rope somewhere. We're leaving. Let someone find him like this. Sasori doesn't want to kill you, Sasuke. No offense," she smiled, "but he finds you cute. You know, like a puppy. You're not exactly a threat. We have fifty people, oh, make that fifty one now. And you have one. It's much more fun to just play with you, for now."

Fifty people sucking up to her? No wonder her ego was bigger than even her wild head of hair could contain.

Kankuro tied the climbing ropes to some hooks at the bottom of the wall. His knots didn't look very solid, actually, even from up there Sasuke could tell. He wasn't sure those would hold very long.

They left. Only Ino looked back.

"But will he be okay?"

"Hush, sweetie. Forget all about him, all right? That's my first order."

Fucking Temari.

But at least Ino was alive… This was all so messed up.

Okay, now to get out of this predicament. They were morons if they thought he was just going to stay like this all night and wait for someone to rescue him. Did they think he was a beginner at this, or afraid of heights, or what?

Idiots.

Adrenaline rushed through his veins. He was completely infuriated and he couldn't believe what Temari had just done. Now he saw Deidara's point very clearly; they couldn't let Sasori get what he wanted. To let Sasori and Temari be in control of New York City would be the worst crime he could possibly imagine. They were out of their minds.

The anger and indignation were giving him strength. He felt like there might be something else involved, too. Some kind of power deep within him, restless and limitless. So he managed to give himself momentum, and his fingers closed in on some holds on the wall. He untied himself to the climbing rope with one skilled hand and threw it away. Then he started climbing down.

He wasn't even afraid. He just felt upset and angry at himself for not being able to see this coming. Whenever he glimpsed at the blood on the floor he felt his heart tighten with guilt. Why would Temari do this?

_Fifty fucking people. _

Didn't she have enough already? Why did she have to put Ino through this? She was just some teenage girl, who had absolutely nothing to do with this. And now this.

He barely gave it any thought, but he realized later that he had probably never climbed down this quickly and this skillfully before. In spite of it all, he still felt the thrill of doing it without any protection. It was reckless, and stupid, perhaps, but he was so focused on thinking about everything else that he didn't pay much attention. But the rush of adrenaline was still there. When he was close enough to the floor, he jumped, and landed in a semi crouch, his hands clenching into fists.

All this blood… Temari would pay for this. He didn't know how yet. But she would pay. She couldn't get away with toying with people like this. Even her brothers. It just wasn't right.

The silence weighed on him. Sasuke sighed, and after putting the equipment away he went to see if he could find a mop or something.

He needed to clean this up.

_Author's note: I think Sasuke's life is getting a bit crazy. If you have questions or stuff you don't understand send them my way and it'll help me create a better story. I've made a few changes thanks to some of you guys' comments already. Sometimes it's hard by myself. Love you guys^^_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time._

He almost fell asleep in the train back home. He was so exhausted. And after the adrenaline rush came a crash. Cleaning all those blood stains had proven to be more difficult than he had thought, too. But it was done. Suigetsu's dad never had to know anything bad happened in his gym.

Sasuke just hoped Ino was okay. He hoped Temari wasn't going to make her do anything. He would have to speak to Deidara about this, to ask him if it was possible to undo the connection between a necromancer and her, um, victim. Sasuke refused to use the word minion. Come on.

Of course, Sasuke had asked him before, for Suigetsu. And Deidara had said it wasn't possible unfortunately. But what if they killed Temari? What then? Sasuke was going to ask him. And if that could free Ino and all those other people, then they would kill her. She left them no choice.

As soon as he was home, Sasuke locked himself up in his bedroom and shrugged off his jacket. He grabbed his cell and dialed Naruto before throwing himself on his bed, the lights still off. As the phone rang he just relaxed, letting himself listen to the sounds of the occasional cars driving by. He always let the window slightly open when it wasn't too cold. He liked having fresh air in the room, and he liked the way it rustled the curtains softly.

Just as Sasuke thought it would go to voicemail, Naruto picked up.

"Hey, you."

He sounded so tired. Sasuke felt worried.

"How are you?"

"I'm okay."

"Naruto it's me. Be honest."

"I'm exhausted," he admitted. "I was up all night last night. Couldn't sleep even though I wanted to. Don't know why. I kept thinking about… stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Just… I don't know. I wrote songs for my band."

"That's great. I'd like to see you guys play some time."

"That might… be a problem. They sort of kicked me out."

"What?" Sasuke frowned. "Why?"

Naruto laughed dryly. "They said I skipped practice too often and when I showed I was too tired anyway."

"You should quit one of your jobs, or something. At least for the end of the school year."

"Yeah I'm gonna quit the coffee shop as soon as my boss gets back from his trip. I just don't want to do it while he's gone, you know? That's not really respectful. He was nice enough to hire me and everything. I just took the extra job because… You know, I thought I might have to pay for Itachi's rent. Cause he was sick."

The worst thing was that Sasuke was kind of getting used to the guilt by now. Why did everything always seem to be his fault? Or at least partly his fault.

"But he got better so fast," Naruto added in a brighter tone. "And now he's just willingly overworking himself as he always has."

"So what are you doing right now?"

"I should be doing homework."

Sasuke smiled. "I didn't ask what you should be doing, did I?"

"Mm no I guess you didn't. I was actually trying to get some sleep…"

"Oh, shit, I woke you up didn't I? I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd be sleeping already."

"Hey, it's fine. I don't care. I wanted to talk to you, too. To know if you were okay."

Sasuke wanted to tell him all about his evening. About Temari and Kankuro, about what they did. About his plan to conspire against her with Deidara. But fifty people… He was just so anxious whenever he thought about it. He felt like he needed to talk to someone about this. And Naruto had seemed like the right person.

But now… he just didn't want to worry him. He sounded so tired already. And he had school in the morning.

"I'm okay. I just wanted to make sure you were still alive."

"I think so! Not in my best condition, but nothing that can't be fixed."

"What do you mean?"

He hesitated. "Nothing. I didn't mean anything by it. Just the tired part."

Great. They had known each other two weeks and they were hiding stuff from each other already.

"Naruto… you know you can tell me anything, right? And if you ever need me, I'll get a cab, I don't care. I can be there in ten minutes—if there's no traffic, I guess," he added, and Naruto laughed. "And hey, I could even teleport. It would be even faster."

He sat up as he realized something. Shit. Why hadn't he thought of this before? The teleporting thing. It seemed like a much faster means of transportation. Sure it used up some energy, but taking the subway did that too. Maybe he could've saved himself the thirty minutes ride just now. And shit. Couldn't he have just teleported to the other dimension when he was stuck in the air at the stupid climbing gym? Why on Earth hadn't he thought of that?

_Temari must be laughing her ass off._

"Sasuke?" Naruto was saying in the phone. "You there?"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry, my phone was being weird." He cleared his throat. "What were you saying?"

"Just that I know I can be honest with you. And I want you to be honest with me, too. Actually, there's something I wanted to tell you. I've been practicing something. After healing Kiba, I started reading a bunch of stuff in my mother's journal again. There's some stuff I've always wanted to try out, so I thought why not now?"

"What kind of stuff?"

"I don't really want to tell you, because… I'd rather show you. Next time I see you I'll show you, okay? It's just this little trick. It's kind of silly. But I think it could become powerful, if I keep practicing."

"Okay, but whatever it is, don't overwork yourself, Naruto. You passed out after healing Kiba…"

"I know," he said defensively, "I'm being careful."

"Sorry," Sasuke sighed, "I didn't mean for it to sound like a lecture. I just… I hope I can see you again soon. I'm not much of a phone person. I guess I'm old school; I like talking to people in person."

"Yeah me too. I'll answer my texts—when I feel like it—but I never usually pick up the phone."

"I feel honored."

"You should!"

"Go back to sleep okay?" Sasuke smiled.

"You sure there wasn't anything else you wanted to tell me? You sound… weird."

Sasuke closed his eyes. "It's fine, don't worry about it. Tell you what, we'll talk more when we see each other. Like you said."

"Okay. I'm curious, but I'll try to be patient. You should go to sleep, too. You sound really tired."

They hung up. Sasuke felt depressed. That phone conversation was such a tease. It didn't even come close to the real thing. Well, it was the next best thing, he supposed. At least he got to hear his voice.

So Naruto was writing songs, huh… Sasuke looked to the side at his pile of notes on the desk, next to that book he'd gotten: Screenwriting for Dummies. He'd had fun with that stuff for a while. He liked creating characters and then living different lives through them as he wrote all those scenes and those dialogues. Especially the dialogues. He could make his characters say things he would be too afraid to say in real life. Make them express feelings in a different way. And sometimes it felt liberating. Other times it felt frustrating. When he wasn't inspired.

He wasn't very inspired lately, unfortunately.

Still, whatever. He had other things to worry about. Hobbies could wait.

In fact, right now, everything could wait. He felt so completely drained that he couldn't even bring himself to move off the bed to take off his clothes. So he just closed his eyes, and passed out, too tired to fight it.

…

In his dreams Sasuke found himself on top of a mountain. The view was breath taking; all snowy mountain peaks, dark blue skies and clouds that seemed to spread forever, shrouding the world in white. Everything seemed so vast and infinitely beautiful from up here. He wasn't afraid. It felt peaceful. He thought he was alone.

But then he heard steps creeping up behind him and he turned around.

At first he thought—

"Naruto?"

This person looked so much like him. But upon taking a better look Sasuke realized it wasn't. He had tawny hair and his eyes were amber instead of blue. But the resemblance was eerie… Everything else was the same. Even the little details, like how Naruto's canine teeth were just a bit longer than normal, that exact same pale gold skin color.

He stepped closer toward him on the rocky ground, the wind blowing in his hair.

"I'm not Naruto, but I know who he is and I know we look alike."

"Is this real? Or am I just dreaming something really weird again?"

"It's real."

"Where are we?"

"One of my favorites." He made a little smile. "The top of the Kilimanjaro. I thought you might like it."

"If this is real… Why can't I feel the wind? I should be cold, or at least have trouble breathing." At this height…

"You're only here in spirit. Your body's back in your bedroom, safe."

Right.

"And why am I here?" he asked, intrigued. "Who are you? _What_ are you?"

"You're here because I want to speak with you. You can call me Kurama. I'm a fox spirit."

Well at least he was efficient in answering his questions. It was kind of refreshing. Unlike certain other people—ahem, Deidara.

"Are you Naruto's long lost twin, or something?"

Kurama tilted his head. "No, but… I'm his ancestor."

His ancestor? Kurama looked really young. Oh, Sasuke suddenly understood, he was probably dead. Just like Deidara, Nagato, Temari… They all looked young but who knew how long they had been dead?

Sasuke couldn't help but notice how good-looking he was. Well, of course he was; he looked like Naruto. But it wasn't only that. There was a glow about him, something warm and bright and… colorful. He clashed with their surroundings, where everything was white, blue and gray.

"Are you a reaper, or a dark angel? Or that other thing?"

"A Higher Demon? No. I'm none of those things. I've never even been in Hell."

"Oh."

Come to think of it, Kurama wasn't wearing those typical black reaper clothes. Instead he wore tight, comfortable looking clothes in shades of dark golden brown and beige and white. With a massive intricate black belt hugging his thin hips. The whole outfit looked like it was from another era. The shirt was open at the neck, showing his collarbone. Now that Sasuke looked more properly, Kurama looked skinnier and somewhat more delicate than Naruto—well maybe he just wasn't as much of an athlete. Not too strong on working out in the afterlife, were they?

"I wanted to speak to you about Naruto. I'm worried about him."

"I'm listening."

Kurama looked at him with a funny expression on his face. "I knew you would."

Suddenly Sasuke felt suspicious. "Why? What do you know about me? How do you even know about me? Where are you from, anyway? If you're not from Hell."

Now Kurama looked amused. He lowered himself and folded his legs. All his movements were very graceful.

Sasuke sat down as well, so that they were face to face. If he was going to be stuck here on top of the Kilimanjaro with some Naruto look-alike—he could do worst, really, this wasn't so bad—might as well sit back and enjoy the view.

"I am…Naruto's spirit guide, in a way. I've been looking after him his entire life. So of course I know about you. I know about everything."

Sasuke felt a bit shy and exposed all of a sudden. Just, the way he said that… Could he blush in his spirit form? He hoped not.

"Naruto's always been strong enough to overcome every obstacle by himself so far. But lately… I'm worried that he has too many foes all at once. He might need you, more than you know. But to answer your other questions, no, I'm not from Hell. I told you, I've never been there. I'm not lying."

"Then what? My reaper friend mentioned another place. Purgatory, I think?"

"I'm not from there, either. Well, I've been there, a very long time ago. But not anymore."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "Then… No way."

"It sounds more impressive than it is," Kurama said modestly.

"You're from Heaven. What's it like there?"

"I can't tell you that," he smiled.

"Oh, come on. Tell me at least one thing."

"I'm not allowed to."

"If I help Naruto will you tell me?"

There was a glint in Kurama's amber eyes, like he was very amused by all this. "Really, Sasuke? You think I don't know you'll help him anyway?"

"Fair enough. But you should tell me. I promise to keep it secret. Besides, it's not like I'll ever go there anyway. I'm just curious. I mean, I'm half-demon, so I hardly think—"

"You never know. You might still go someday."

"Really?"

Kurama just smiled. "I don't know."

"Okay, I get it. You won't tell me anything. Tell me about Naruto's… foes, or whatever. But," he said, "if you're his spirit guide why don't you visit _his_ dreams and tell him?"

"He won't let me," he said, and Sasuke detected a trace of annoyance in his voice.

That was one more difference; his voice. Naruto's voice was somewhat raspy but still melodious. Kurama's voice was sleek and smooth and quiet, but still he sounded irritated.

"What do you mean he won't let you?"

"…You'd have to ask him."

"So he knows about you?"

Kurama considered this, looking past Sasuke at the snowy mountain tops.

"I suppose he does."

"Could you be more unclear?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I probably could."

"Very funny. Anyway, never mind. Just tell me what I need to know."

"There's a man—a thief—who's hurt Naruto before. I want to make sure it doesn't happen again." Kurama traced some kind of pattern with his finger on the dusty rock as he spoke. Sasuke couldn't make out what it was.

"A thief?"

Kurama looked up. "You don't know about them? They're pretty rare. We call them thieves in the supernatural world because that's exactly what they steal; supernatural strength and powers. As you must be aware of by now, those powers are transferable, to a compatible person at least."

Sasuke thought about Itachi.

"I know what you're thinking," Kurama said softly, "but your brother isn't a thief. He's just very strong-willed, from what I've observed. He was able to keep the powers without using them. He was compatible with you—because of his love for you, because of the blood you share." He tilted his head, thinking. "Sometimes it's not easy to explain. Naruto's father is another example of compatibility; he shared Kushina's powers. But in their case, it was more of a spiritual connection. I think she kept a detailed journal which explains the phenomenon quite well, among other things."

He would have to read that bloody journal one day.

Kurama's eyes darkened as he went on. "Thieves are different. They take supernatural powers from their owners forcefully. They don't possess any themselves, except for the odd ability to detect them in other people. And as a result they crave it."

"You're saying someone like that stole some of Naruto's powers? Who?"

"This young man," Kurama said, "died recently. So I thought I wouldn't have to intervene after all, and that the power would return to Naruto on its own—as it should. But that's not what happened." He looked up and their eyes met. "A reaper and his necromancer—I think you're familiar with them—planned the whole thing. They killed him so they could absorb the powers he had stolen over the years."

"Sasori and Temari?" Those two again. Sasuke hated them so much. "They can do that?"

"A skilled reaper can… This particular reaper seems quite… resourceful."

"So they have Naruto's powers now," Sasuke said resentfully.

Kurama looked to the side. His hair was pure copper and gold in the fading light. "If only that was our main problem."

"What do you mean?"

"Well they didn't just kill him to steal his—already stolen, might I add—powers. They also brought him back."

"Of course they would."

"He still has his abilities. But they left him with nothing. So now he craves it more than ever. And I'm afraid Naruto's first on his list. He's been stalking him recently. So I want you to protect him, do you understand?"

The world around them seemed to fade. Even Kurama… The colors, the sky, everything was fading.

"Hey, wait, no…"

No way. He had so many questions. How was he supposed to help Naruto if—

But of course he woke up in his bedroom, alone. The pale morning light slipped through the curtains. His house plants seemed to stare at him mockingly.

Okay, he was definitely still tired.

But how could he possibly fall back to sleep after _that_? Stupid fox spirits.

…

About an hour later, Sasuke was in Central Park. He just needed the fresh air. It was still so early and there weren't too many people out—just some joggers, and some people walking their dogs, that kind of thing. And mostly lots of squirrels all over the place. It wasn't so bad today; for once it wasn't too cold. He just wore a thin sweater under his jacket and he was comfortable. He could tell that the sun would be warm and nice in the afternoon.

He ended up sitting in the grass, looking down at the pond. The water was so still and quiet.

'_Deidara?'_

He ought to get the reaper a cell phone or something. He felt incredibly silly just _thinking_ his name like that.

'_Deidara. I need to talk to you.'_

Sasuke watched as an athletic girl with a bouncing ponytail ran past him. The music in her earphones was so loud that he could hear it from where he sat.

'_Deidara? Hello? Do I have to say it out loud for it to work? I don't remember. I'm not very clear on the whole telepathy thing. In fact, I have a lot of questions to ask you so if you could—'_

"Hey, fruitcake, up here."

He looked up and saw Deidara as he swung himself off a high tree branch. He leaped down to a lower one, and then to the ground in a graceful crouch. And then he sat casually next to Sasuke.

"Well somebody likes to make an entrance."

"What's up?" Deidara said.

Something was off. He was averting his gaze. As Sasuke saw his profile, he saw that he had a scrape on his cheek, and a bruise on his neck like someone had attempted to strangle him. He wore the usual black clothes and boots, but they looked worn out and sort of crumpled. His long hair was all tangled, too. And… the front of his shirt was torn.

Sasuke grabbed Deidara's thin shoulder and forced him to turn around and face him. Then he opened up the shirt where it was ripped. Deidara winced.

"Shit. What happened to you?"

There was a big, nasty red gash in his chest. It wasn't bleeding, but it was still pretty raw, and the skin around it was swelling up.

"You should see the other guy."

"And who was the other guy?"

"Who do you think?" Deidara stared. His pale blue eyes lacked their usual brightness.

"Sasori. You two fought? Why?"

"He tried to sneak up on Nagato when he was asleep." Deidara was royally pissed off, Sasuke could tell. "Nagato told me to stay away. But I didn't listen. Bloody good thing I didn't, too. I caught Sasori just in time. He wanted to try and kill Nagato with his own favorite blade. But he never got to."

"That white dagger with the green stone?"

Deidara frowned. "How did you know that?"

"I saw it at the party. Lucky guess."

"Yeah, well, it's a higher demon weapon." Deidara started tearing at the grass angrily. "Much better than this useless thing." He grabbed the sheathed sword and ripped it off his back along with the leather strap, tossing the whole thing aside.

But, Sasuke thought, if a reaper blade had almost killed Kiba, then how much damage would a higher demon blade do?

"Dei, did Sasori slash you with that white dagger?" He tried to reach out to look inside Deidara's shirt again, but he turned to the side, blocking his view.

"I'll be fine. Don't look it's embarrassing."

Sasuke sighed. Deidara might not be the manliest guy, but he still had his pride, apparently. He shrugged off his jacket, and gave it to him. Deidara was shivering, so…

"Here, take it."

"You sure?"

"I'm not cold."

Well, he was a little, but the sun warmed his skin so it was all right.

Deidara put on the slim leather jacket silently.

"So what happened then? You're still alive—well, you know what I mean—so does that mean you won?"

"I wish. I suppose I won the fight, but it's far from over."

"What happened?" Sasuke insisted. He wanted to know.

"We fought for a while before he broke through my defense and slashed me. But I kept fighting back, and I think he was surprised I could still move. He underestimated me. I used that surprise against him, and I stabbed him in the chest—I missed the heart, but still. And then I slashed his wing." Deidara grinned like a kid who'd done something he knew was very bad—some evil prank or something—but totally worth it.

"I didn't even know he had wings."

"Yeah he got his stupid promotion," Deidara said darkly. He zipped up the jacket, shivering. The wind blew in his long hair softly. Sasuke got this weird urge to brush it.

"Sasori said something about someone coming back."

A shadow crossed Deidara's eyes.

"Some asshole named Louis. French guy. He was kicked out of Hell a long time ago, but of course it was too good to be true. The bastard came back."

"Kicked out… by my father?"

Deidara glanced at him. "You caught everything Sasori said, didn't you? Good. Keep paying attention like that. I'm not good at explaining stuff."

"No, you're not."

He ignored that. "Your father never much liked Louis. Well, your father never much liked anyone. But let's not get into that now. We have other problems."

A woman walking her dog looked at him weird. Once she was a bit further, Sasuke leaned closer to Deidara.

"Can other people see you right now, or is it just me?"

"Just you," he said tiredly, "I don't have the energy…"

"That's okay. But warn me next time." Sasuke took out his phone so he could pretend to be talking into it if someone walked by again.

"So, you cut Sasori's wing, and then…?"

"We were both pretty beat up. He let me have that fight. Like I said, it's not over. But some other friends of Nagato's showed up then. Jun was there I think you've met her. And Sasori ran the hell away. He was not too happy about his brand new wings being damaged." Deidara smiled. But it was gone pretty quickly. "Well, he probably just ran to mommy and got it all fixed up already."

"When you say ran to mommy…?"

"Louis. Keep up, Sasuke."

"I'm trying. So that guy is bad news?"

"Very bad news." Deidara closed his eyes. "Louis hates the higher demons—I suppose he's jealous. He does a lot of passionate speeches. Less power to the HDs, more power to the people. And of course he wants to represent the people. So that means more power to him. Ironically I heard now he got himself promoted to higher demon. So he's become what he used to hate." Deidara shook his head in disbelief, and let out a humorless laugh. "Skipped DA. Just straight to higher demon—I don't know what the higher ups are thinking, honestly."

"DA?"

"Dark angel."

"Oh. Well I can't say I'm familiar with 'Hell' politics..."

"Word is he wants to declutter."

Sasuke shifted uneasily. He was starting to find the uneven ground uncomfortable.

"Declutter?"

"He thinks there are way too many of us. He wants fewer reapers and dark angels."

"Starting with his BFF Sasori's enemy."

"Little old me, yes. You're keeping up. Brilliant." Said Deidara sarcastically. "Anyway, how do I explain this…? Lucifer, Satan, or whatever you want to call it, that's not a real thing. More an idea. A concept. But we haven't had a leader in a long time. Just a bunch of higher demons looking after their assigned areas. Like Nagato looks after most of the East Coast, I think. I'm not even sure these days. He won't talk to me anymore."

"Why not?"

"He's angry." He made a face. "I don't know. He's nervous. We all are, I suppose. But the reason he doesn't want me around…" Deidara sighed. There was a circle of ripped grass all around him. "All right, so like I said, we haven't had a leader in a while. And I think things were going great. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks that way. They want a leader again. And a bunch of people think it should be Louis. He's offering more power, and those daft idiots are all buying it. Of course, he's saying this now! To everybody. He just wants their votes. Once he's on top he can do whatever he wants. It'll be like last time. He went around doing his speeches and everybody loved him but that's only because he secretly had his men kill anyone that disagreed with him. Honestly," Deidara finished, "even though he did it for his own selfish reasons, your father did us all a favor when he destroyed him."

"Okay… um, well, I hope he doesn't get… elected, or whatever you people call it."

"Well there are some other candidates… Of course loads of people are voting for Nagato, including myself obviously. That's why he wants me to stay away though. Says our relationship is bad for his campaign. For his reputation."

"Homophobia in Hell. Imagine that."

"Mm…"

"So Louis came back? Came back from where?" Sasuke was so confused. "What happens when demons are killed, Deidara?"

"It's complicated. Sometimes we never see them again. Sometimes they go to purgatory… Sometimes they come back."

Sasuke's curiosity wasn't exactly satisfied, but Deidara looked so exhausted that he decided not to push it, for now.

"You said Nagato was sleeping?" he asked instead. "So you guys sleep?"

"Sure we do. In fact, I think I need some sleep right now." He let himself fall to the side, until his head rested on Sasuke's lap. And he curled up against Sasuke like a cat—a really big cat.

"Um…"

"I don't actually want to sleep, silly. I just want to stay like this for a little while." He closed his eyes. "It's nice being with you. I can tell you care about me, even if just a little—it's more than I can say about anyone else these days."

"Nagato cares. He has to. You saved his life, didn't you?"

"He doesn't even know—slept through the whole thing. I think Sasori found a way to poison him—maybe he had an ally among Nagato's friends, or something—and that's why he couldn't wake up. He'll be fine, though. He's with people I trust right now. I wanted to come here and be with you instead. I'm not even wanted there… Who cares about him anyway, right? He can have his reputation."

_Well, if no one tells Nagato that you risked your life to save his sleeping ass, then I will. And he'd better be grateful._

"You didn't have to come here…"

Without really realizing what he was doing, his fingers inched closer to Deidara's hair, and then he started stroking it softly. It felt really smooth even though it was tangled.

"I come when you call," Deidara said quietly. "That's the whole point."

"What if you call me? Will I hear you?"

"Of course."

"Then why didn't you call me when you were fighting Sasori?"

"Well you can't really fight yet, can you? I have to give you proper training, and get you a blade."

"Where do you even get the weapons? And the clothes and… everything?" Sasuke was trying to detangle Deidara's hair, combing his fingers through it. "There's like… nothing in Hell. Just… ashes, and… I don't know. A night club. Trees…"

Deidara laughed. "Oh, but you haven't seen anything yet, Sasuke. Of course there's more. There are cities. It's a whole world. It's all there once you're ready to discover it. When people get over their fears… Sometimes they can find their place in a city, or just keep wandering around by themselves or… Whatever they want to do."

The more Sasuke found out, the more he realized he had yet so much to discover.

"I need to ask you so many questions, but first I've got something important to tell you."

Sasuke told him about what Temari had done to Ino. Deidara's reaction was pretty similar to Sasuke's.

"That bitch."

Then he told him about Kurama. The whole Temari being a horrible person thing hadn't surprised him much. But Deidara looked really shocked when he found out about the fox spirit visiting Sasuke's dreams.

He sat up and looked at him. Sasuke noticed again how pale and ill Deidara looked—it seemed he was in a lot of pain, and was trying to hide it—but there wasn't much he could do about it now. Maybe they could go see Naruto later so he could try to heal his wound like he had done for Kiba.

"Well, well, Sasuke. I'm impressed. Talk about friends in high places. An angel of heaven, no less."

"He said he was a spirit guide. Naruto's spirit guide."

Deidara smiled. "I'm not completely certain of their nomenclature, but I'm pretty sure spirit guides are angels. He wasn't the bragging type, I take it?"

"I guess not."

"But about Naruto," Deidara said more seriously, "I thought that was a possibility. That someone took some of his powers, I mean. He got weak really fast when he healed Kiba. There was something off. He's… he's supposed to be more powerful than that. I can tell."

"It's just so frustrating. Kurama didn't tell me much. I don't know how to protect Naruto. I don't even know who that supernatural thief guy is. I mean, Kurama didn't even give me a name."

Deidara considered this. "I think we should just focus on defending ourselves against Temari, for now. That thief is with her now anyways, whoever he is. Hopefully we can find a way to defeat them."

"How do we do that?"

Deidara studied him for a moment. "You won't like it, but… I want you to bring someone else back. It'll make you stronger, and—"

"No," he shook his head firmly, "I'm not doing that. We have to find another way. It's enough of a mess with Suigetsu. Listen, about Suigetsu, I wanted to ask you something. Are you absolutely sure the side effects will fade? Because… he was about ready to tell me that he was in love with me. So I had to stop him, and…" Sasuke nodded when he saw that Deidara was laughing. He clutched his chest with his hand, and looked like he was in pain, but he still kept laughing. "Okay, at least I make you laugh. Anyway, I had to tell him the truth. I had no choice. And he believed me, actually. But still, he's getting really weird. And I'm not even talking about the fact that he acts like I might accidentally die at any moment, or the fact that he texts me all the time for _no_ _reason_, which is honestly, so annoying. He's stealing stuff, Deidara. He used to do that when he was younger. I know some people think kleptomania is bullshit, but it's not. He had it. He would get nervous, and get these urges… Then he went to therapy and it was fixed. And now it's starting again. Some stuff was missing from my bedroom this morning, so I went in his room and found it, along with some other pile of random stuff that I'm pretty sure isn't his. Like, there were a lot of pocket knives, which is kind of freaking me out. Either lots of people are missing their pocket knives, or he just stole them from a store—because I know he doesn't have much money, so he wouldn't spend… Oh and packs of gum and pens, which I guess is less freaky, but still weird that he would—"

"Sasuke. Slow down. Calm down. Breathe." Deidara breathed in and out slowly, and motioned for Sasuke to do it with him.

But Sasuke didn't feel like breathing slowly right now.

"Seriously, Deidara, help me out here. What do I do?"

"Nothing. Give it some time. He'll be fine, trust me."

"What about Temari's… army? Will they be fine?"

"If we kill her, yes. They'll be free."

Sasuke nodded.

"All right, so please hear me out. I have the perfect person in mind. It'll make you stronger." Deidara reached out to touch his arm. He insisted, "Please, Sasuke, we have to do this. He's a good fighter, too. He's already agreed to it and everything. He wants to help us."

"Your hand is really cold," Sasuke said.

Deidara pulled his hand back swiftly. "Sorry."

"No, I meant… Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He didn't look fine. He was really pale.

"I'm texting Naruto." He was already typing on his phone. "We can meet up with him and he can try to heal you."

But Deidara stopped him. "Naruto can't heal this. Don't worry about me, okay?"

Sasuke stopped texting, but he narrowed his eyes. "But you'll heal, right?"

"Of course." Was he lying? Sasuke couldn't be sure. He didn't know him that well yet.

"You sure you don't want Naruto to try? He healed Kiba the other night."

"That was different. Trust me, he can't heal this. Anyway," he made a little smile, "it's good that you remember Kiba. He's the one I'm talking about. I want you to bring him back. What do you say?"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

_The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. _

So Deidara's arguments were pretty good.

One: Kiba was already dead, so Deidara didn't have to kill anyone this time for Sasuke to bring them back.

Two: Kiba actually wanted this. Who was Sasuke to deny him that?

Three: Deidara said that since Kiba was someone who had been through a lot, and who already knew about the whole necromancer thing, there probably wouldn't be side effects. Which was good.

Four: Deidara kept saying how it would make Sasuke stronger somehow.

Five: Apparently Kiba was a good fighter. That time he had been stabbed by Sasori didn't count; he had been caught by surprise.

Six: Kiba got bonus points for really hating Sasori and Temari and wanting them dead.

But still, Sasuke couldn't believe he had let Deidara talk him into doing this.

They had taken a cab to Queens. Deidara said he was too tired to teleport. Still, Sasuke used the opportunity to ask him some questions about the whole teleporting thing. Deidara explained that there was only one important thing, really. He had to make sure he knew exactly where he was going. If he wasn't sure about the destination and what it looked like, then it could be dangerous.

Well, once in the cab, they couldn't exactly talk, since Deidara was in invisible mode. The driver might have found it weird if Sasuke started talking to himself—besides, their conversation topics weren't exactly normal. So Deidara just curled up on the back seat and slept with his head on Sasuke's lap for the whole twenty minutes ride or so.

And now they stood behind some creepy crypt in the middle of Mount Olivet Cemetery. The few trees provided very little shade—and pretty much zero protection from inquiring eyes if anyone were to walk by and look this way.

Deidara had visited the niches and stolen the urn containing Kiba's remains. He replaced it with some empty fake urn he had made Sasuke buy just before so that no one would notice.

"Are we really doing this now?" Sasuke spoke in a low voice even though there was absolutely no one around. "In broad daylight? Shouldn't we do this at night?"

"Why at night? What difference does it make?" asked Deidara.

"I don't know." Sasuke crossed his arms, looking from side to side nervously. "They always do this kind of thing at night in movies."

"It's fine, Sasuke. No one will come."

"You don't know that."

"People visiting their loved one's graves all the time is also something you only see in movies." Deidara placed his palm next to his mouth like he was telling a secret. "No one really does it," he whispered.

"And on that cheerful note," said Sasuke sarcastically, "one more question. How on Earth am I supposed to put him back in his body… if there is no body?"

"It's completely possible," Deidara said firmly. "Don't worry about it. You'll figure it out."

"Uh-huh…" Sasuke wasn't convinced. He sighed. "Should we really be doing this? It feels kinda… wrong. Why is Temari doing it anyway? I mean fifty people… Does she get some kind of thrill out of it? Is she addicted to it now, or something?"

"There's probably some of that," Deidara admitted, "but that's hardly the only reason. First of all, they want to make sure they beat us. And secondly, I've seen necromancers do what she's doing before—or I've heard of it, anyway. She's trying to take over town. Think about it. She can get better at appearing in public and making sure everyone can see her; this way she walks among humans and no one knows the truth. She can climb the social ladder and make it all the way to the top. Surprisingly easy when loads of people absolutely adore you for no reason and are always ready to help…"

"We have to stop her."

"I'm glad we agree. Necromancers can be dangerous if they lose control. You know, I've heard Malachy once became a God for some Aztec tribe a very long time ago; he would bring someone of their choosing back every full moon, so they worshipped him and did whatever he wanted. Until he got bored and killed all of them."

"My demon father sure sounds charming."

"Never mind that. You should go get Kiba. I'll wait for you here." Deidara went to lean against the stone wall of the crypt tiredly, the urn still in his hands.

"Where is he?"

"In Hell."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I know that, moron. Where exactly? I don't have all day to look for him."

Well actually he did, since he had the day off. But he didn't want to leave Deidara alone here too long. He looked like he might just drop dead any second. Sasuke wasn't sure he believed him when he said his injury would heal.

"The night club. I told him to wait for you there."

"You told him to wait for me? How did you know I would say yes in the end?" Sasuke shook his head in disbelief.

Deidara said, "I'm persuasive."

"Whatever. I'll be right back."

He let thoughts of blood fill his mind—not the most pleasant thing, but he had to do what he had to do. He lowered himself to the ground, putting one knee down as he started to see a circle of gleaming red spreading. The air seemed to darken around him, like dark smoke was rising. He closed his eyes, and let himself slip through.

Under his boots he could feel that soft mix of sand and ashes. He opened his eyes to see black and white; the sky was black and so were the trees and that tall building in the distance, but the ground was pure white and it was snowing, each flake seemingly lighting up the darkness so he could see even though there were no stars or moon.

He shivered and started up the path to the black crystalline tower. There was no music this time. Only silence. The shimmering white path was narrow and long, and on either side were streams of dark water. As he looked from side to side, he saw that this world wasn't only black and white after all. Here and there he could see whips of orange flames and sparks coming out of the shadows in the distance.

Then he thought he heard some kind of rustling—or like a disturbance in the air—behind him and he spun on his heel to take a look. He saw those black shapes; those elongated, deformed, contorted creatures that seemed to be made of dark shadows. There were three of them. Low moans came out of their mouthless faces.

Sasuke cursed himself for letting fear grip at his heart. He couldn't let himself be afraid. Fear was what attracted those things, clearly. They fed on it somehow. Now Sasuke was their prey, and they were getting closer. How was he supposed to fight them off? Deidara should have given him his sword. He had nothing.

_They can't hurt you. Just ignore them and they'll go away._

But they weren't going away. They were approaching. Sasuke realized with a start that he could feel water licking at his feet. The river was rising up on both sides, drowning the path. It was so cold that it burned, like needles piercing his skin through his boots and jeans. In fact, it felt so strangely painful that he wasn't sure if the black water was boiling hot or freezing cold. He tried to move but his feet wouldn't listen.

_Shit. This can't happen. Deidara's waiting for me. I'm supposed to get Kiba and get out of here. Am I really this weak by myself? _

One of the black shapes was almost on him. It smelled strongly of ashes in the air.

"Sasuke? Are those things bothering you?" A voice said behind him. He recognized that voice from the other night; Kiba. And then that fluffy white dog ran past Sasuke, barking, chasing those creatures away. Wow, Sasuke thought, a dog barking chased them away, and _he_ hadn't even been able to move in their presence. That didn't do much to boost his ego.

On the plus side, his feet weren't stuck in that weird black water anymore. Because the water was gone, he realized as he looked down. Of course. He tripped as he was suddenly free, and almost fell but Kiba caught his arm.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, um," he pulled away, and cleared his throat. "I just… for a moment there, um…"

"Hey don't worry about it. Happens to the best of us. Especially when we're alone. Isn't it insane how much more afraid we get when we're by ourselves?" Kiba slapped his shoulder. "That's why we got to stick together."

"Well, I'm glad you're here," Sasuke admitted, studying Kiba's appearance. One of his heavy combat boots held a knife pressed against his ankle. He wore dark worn out jeans, a red and gray striped t-shirt, and he had those black fingerless gloves on—borrowed from a reaper perhaps. Hauled over his shoulder was a heavy looking backpack, and at his belt were a sheathed sword and dagger, both hilts made of a matching black and silver intertwining pattern. His hair was dark brown, and his eyes stood out, a few shades lighter.

Kiba smiled. "So are we doing this? I'm so excited. I never thought I'd get to go back to the real world."

"Yeah," Sasuke nodded, "yeah we're doing this. You might want to step closer to me, and—"

"Wait! I've got to say goodbye first."

Sasuke understood what he meant when the big white dog trotted back towards them. Kiba bent over to pet his ears, and the dog leaned into his touch.

"I didn't think there would be animals here. I mean, I saw ravens, but…"

Kiba thought about this. "I don't know about the ravens, but you're right. There aren't many animals. There shouldn't be, I guess, considering…" He scratched his hair. "But Akamaru just… found me. And protected me. So I just never thought of asking questions, and just considered myself really lucky."

As he pet the dog some more, Kiba looked like he was going to cry. Sasuke turned away to give him some privacy.

"It's okay," Kiba was saying, "we'll find each other again some day."

"We really ought to get going," said Sasuke awkwardly. "Deidara is waiting for us, so…"

"Of course, yeah, I'm sorry." Kiba wiped under his eyes.

Sasuke had to admit that Akamaru looked really sad as he looked at them with his big eyes, his tail down. Now even he felt like crying. But he cleared his mind.

He took Kiba's arms, and proceeded to take them back to Mount Olivet Cemetery, making sure to think very precisely about the crypt where he had been standing with Deidara earlier. Thinking about Deidara might help, too, so he pictured him in his mind, holding the urn, waiting for them.

And it worked. Sasuke felt a bit tired afterwards, and he supposed this means of transportation wasn't exactly costless—not for the body, anyway. Deidara was still there. He looked sickly pale and weak but he was there. Sasuke stepped closer to him as that black smoke faded, with Kiba tagging along.

Sasuke whipped his head around to make sure the section of the cemetery was still empty. There was only silence, except for the wind rustling the shy green leaves of early spring.

"Good work," Deidara said, and it looked like he wanted to smile but didn't even have the strength. He leaned heavily against the crypt, which looked like it hadn't been tended to in a while considering it was covered in vines. He handed him the urn, and Sasuke took it. But he still had no idea how to do this.

Kiba looked shocked. Apparently he hadn't been aware of this. "My family had me cremated? Man, that's harsh. I knew they didn't approve of my lifestyle choices, but still, that's no reason to… And hey, are you sure this is going to work?" he said worriedly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other—if he had any weight in spirit form, that is. "What if I just end up a pile of ashes? No offense, but he," Kiba pointed at Deidara, "didn't tell me about this; if this is too risky, I'd still rather be in Hell. At least I have my dog, and my friends, so…"

Deidara sighed. "Kiba, relax. Just look at the sunlight, and all the green—the colors, the brightness. Don't you want to be alive again?"

Kiba seemed very troubled all of a sudden. He was indeed noticing all of it, clearly, but there was something amiss. "I can't feel it," he whispered, looking down at his hands, "I can't feel the sun, or the wind. Not really. It's so weird. I'm aware of it, but—"

"You'll feel it, once Sasuke's finished," Deidara reassured him. "If you don't trust him, it's not going to work. So just trust him."

"Okay," Kiba said, nodding, "okay, Sasuke, I trust you."

Right.

"Well, I… I appreciate your trust, I do, but…"

Kiba got distracted and ignored him. "What happened to you, anyway?" he addressed Deidara. "Did you party too hard last night, or what?"

"Yes, precisely. I had way too much liquor… I was out of control, really." He clutched Sasuke's jacket tighter around himself and crossed his arms. Sasuke thought he could hear Deidara's breathing wheeze. There was no way Kiba would believe that. Deidara looked so weak and pained—this couldn't possibly be just some hangover.

But Kiba laughed. "I hear ya, that happens to me too sometimes…"

Well, this wasn't too bad. Sasuke looked down at the shiny metallic urn in his hands. As long as Kiba was distracted elsewhere, Sasuke could try to come up with a way to—

"So, Sasuke," Kiba slapped his shoulder, "are we doing this or not?"

Crap.

"Sure, I need to, um, concentrate. Concentrate," he improvised, "on the urn. So give me some space, and be quiet, and—"

"Oh my God, you have no idea how to do this." Kiba pointed an accusing finger at him.

Okay.

Kiba turned to Deidara. "Your necromancer doesn't even know how to do his job! Why'd you tell me he could do it?"

Deidara swallowed. He looked extremely sick, holding his chest with one hand. "H-He can do it. Just t-trust him, right? He'll figure it out. I'm just… I'll be over there, throwing up, if you need me." He crawled his way to a tree and leaned against it.

Fuck. This was stupid. Deidara wanted him to bring some guy back to life using stupid ashes, and he didn't know what the fuck to do, and Deidara was probably dying, and—

_Let me help you._

Wait. Who said that? Not Deidara—he was busy trying to gather all of his hair so he wouldn't throw up on it. And not Kiba, either. He was just staring at him with increasingly doubtful brown eyes.

No, that voice was in his head. Oh, great, was he really going mad now?

_Let me take over. Just a little…_

Sasuke was tired. He was worried about his friend. He was worried about so many things. So when he felt a dark, powerful energy stirring inside him, it felt good, and in no way did he wish to fight it.

So he let it take over, whatever it was.

And it was exactly like that moment you finally start feeling the effects of a drug, or alcohol, or both. He felt confident.

He knew what to do. It was simple, really.

"Come here," he said, motioning for Kiba to step closer.

"Okay…"

Sasuke then shoved the urn in Kiba's hands. "Hold this."

"But—"

"Quiet." He held Kiba's shoulders.

The air around them seemed to darken, like an unsubstantial gray film was covering them both, blocking the sunlight.

"Are we teleporting back?" asked Kiba, frowning.

"No. This is different. I'm linking our energies. Stop worrying so much."

"Linking our what?"

"I said be quiet. Didn't you hear what Deidara said before? If you don't trust me, it won't work."

"But just moments ago you—"

"Kiba. Shut up. Can't you feel it?" Sasuke couldn't help but smile. There was so much energy in him, it felt almost euphoric. He was giving some of it to Kiba, but it didn't matter because when it came back to him it was even more powerful.

For a moment Kiba just stared dumbly, but then he gasped and held Sasuke's arm.

"Holy shit. Yeah I can feel it. Like… electricity. Hey, Sasuke, don't stop… I think I need more. I'm… I'm starting to feel alive again." His eyes widened. "Fuck, I feel all… I'm so… cold and hot at the same time. This is insane."

"Be quiet."

He saw something in Sasuke's eyes that seemed to frighten him. "Yes, sir."

The air around them was darkening again. Sasuke was creating this dark energy, and feeding off it at the same time. It was exhilarating. He had never experienced anything like it before. He felt so… strong. Unstoppable.

Thunder roared but he wasn't sure if it was real or his imagination. Kiba seemed to hear it too, though. And then lightning was striking both of them, but it wasn't painful. Just powerful and warm. It was strangely quiet, and stayed within that sphere of dark air for a moment, crackling, before disappearing.

"Now drink it," Sasuke said.

"What?"

Sasuke let go of Kiba's shoulders, and let his pale fingers trail down the metal of the urn—it had been cold before, but now it was warm. "Drink it," he said again. Sasuke's voice sounded strange even to him, like it was different somehow.

"Drink? But…" Kiba interrupted himself as he opened the urn. It should have been difficult to open—or even sealed, probably—but it wasn't. He just opened it, and looked inside, and his eyes widened. "Is that… blood?"

Sasuke smiled. "Will you make me tell you again?"

"No, sir."

His hands trembling, Kiba tilted the urn and started drinking the blood. He drank it like he was parched and craved it, and he didn't stop until he had absorbed all of it. Then he dropped the urn and fell back onto the ground, panting.

"I just need to… sit down, for a moment."

The darkness was dissipating, and all of a sudden it was broad daylight again. Sasuke looked around at the quiet cemetery, the trees, the thumb stones, and the flowers. And he sort of just snapped out of it.

Holy crap. What _was_ that? It was like he was a different person.

Kiba was still sitting in the grass, seemingly fascinated with his own hand.

"I can feel the sun," he whispered, "and the wind, and everything. This is amazing. I think it worked."

"Yeah," Sasuke said, "it worked."

He just _knew_.

And suddenly he remembered Deidara. He looked to the side and found him collapsed next to the tree. Sasuke ran to him and fell to his knees. It didn't look like he had been throwing up at all. He was just passed out. His face was extremely pale, and his lips were dry.

Sasuke clutched his shoulder. "Deidara? Wake up, okay? I can't help you if you don't tell me how."

He moaned, and cracked his blue eyes open, and Sasuke felt a wave of relief.

"Don't worry," Deidara said in a rasped voice, "I'm not dead. Not yet."

"Yeah, well, I don't want that to happen."

"That's sweet."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Just tell me what to do, you idiot! Maybe we should go to Naruto."

"Stop with that. Naruto can't help me."

"Well then, who can?"

Deidara made a pained face—and it wasn't just the physical pain. "Nagato…"

"Then we'll go see him."

"No," Deidara whined, rolling to the side so that Sasuke couldn't see his face.

Sasuke sighed, and brushed Deidara's hair away from his face. "Well, you haven't got a choice, _mate_. Do you want to die?"

"If… If I could just," he panted, his hand grasping at the ground like he needed something to hold on to, "find another way… I don't want to see him."

Kiba stepped closer. His legs were still shaky, but he looked like he was getting stronger. "What's wrong with him? Really?"

"Got stabbed with a higher demon blade," Sasuke said.

"Shit, really? How is he still alive? Those are extremely poisonous. Instant kill, normally."

"Well he's not dead." Sasuke leaped to his feet. "And I'm taking him to Nagato."

Kiba nodded. "Nagato should know what to do."

"Here." Sasuke took out his phone and entered his address. "Take a cab and go to this address. Forty Ninth West," he finished typing and gave his cell to Kiba, who seemed fascinated by it. For a moment Sasuke worried that perhaps Kiba had been dead a really long time and didn't even know what phones were.

But he just said, "Whoa, this phone is so cool."

"Yeah, whatever." He gave some money to Kiba for the cab. Damn, he was spending a lot of money on cabs today, for someone with the ability to teleport. "Go to that address and wait for me. Or call Suigetsu, my roommate. Explain everything and he'll let you in. Got it?"

"I got it, sir!"

"Stop calling me sir. It's fucking weird. Just go…"

As he turned around Sasuke thought he saw a small tattoo across the back of his neck, it looked like numbers but he couldn't quite read them properly before Kiba walked away. Sasuke ignored it and dropped to Deidara's side again. He grabbed Deidara's arm and put it around his neck, before scooping him up in his arms and getting back up. He wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline rush from bringing Kiba back, or if Deidara just wasn't heavy, but it wasn't much of an effort to carry him.

"Where do I have to go?"

"The city…"

"I don't know what the 'city' looks like."

"Just think about Nagato. It should work. Those things," Deidara breathed as his eyes closed, "don't have to be complicated, Sasuke… Don't over think it. You're more powerful than you think." His head rolled against Sasuke's shoulders and his body went limp.

Shit.

So he thought about Nagato. It should work? Well, it _had_ to work.

He closed his eyes and let his mind be filled with the image of Nagato as he remembered him from that party; huge dark red wings and hair of the same color, pale skin, tall and skinny, tight black pants with no shirt, and he was handsome, in a way, Sasuke supposed, with angular features and eyes that kept changing color—green, gray, blue…

When the smoke started to dissipate Sasuke was standing in what looked like an office with Deidara still passed out in his arms. Well, an office from another century, perhaps; the walls seemed to be made of dark stone, and the desk was covered in parchment paper and quill pens. The chairs were handcrafted wood, and against the wall sat a similarly made bench with a pale fur blanket—maybe that was their version of a couch.

Lit candles all over the room created a somewhat pungent smell, like incense. Out the window Sasuke saw a pale dust road and some other dark stone buildings, rather small and spaced out with nothing in between, and everything was eerily quiet… Well if this was the city it seemed rather depressing. He preferred New York.

Nagato was in the room but he wasn't alone. He was arguing with another man when Sasuke showed up. Nagato looked the same as he remembered, except his wings were hidden this time, and he wore a shirt, though he left it unbuttoned. The other man was thin, average height. He wore a boring looking gray suit and he had short dark hair and equally dark eyes. There was a small tattoo just below his hairline. Dark red numbers. _9103_. Same place as Kiba's, Sasuke thought, and it made him feel uneasy.

The man wasn't ugly but his stare was unpleasant as he waved the last of the black smoke away distastefully and looked at Sasuke.

"You let people _teleport_ into your office unannounced, Nagato? In the middle of an important meeting? I'm appalled." He had a bit of a French accent. His voice was elegant and smooth but somehow it still made Sasuke cringe. He immediately decided he didn't like this guy.

_Appalled? Who says that? No one._

Nagato waved him off. "Just get out, Louis. Meeting's over." Ah, so this charming individual was Louis. Shocker. Unfortunately, it seemed Louis wanted to stay. He wasn't moving.

"What's this? What's wrong with Deidara?" Nagato asked, his boots stomping the floor as he stepped closer and took a better look. He blanched. "What happened to him?"

"You mean you don't know? Wow, this is rich. He saved your life is what happened." Sasuke's arms weren't even tired—all that rock climbing must have paid off—but still, he went to rest Deidara's motionless body on that bench thing.

Nagato whispered, "What? But my friends said—"

Sasuke didn't let him finish. He didn't care much. "Well your _friends_ left out some details."

Nagato raked his fingers through his hair, looking troubled. "Leave, Louis. Now." He didn't sound too happy.

"But this," he pointed toward Deidara, "I think this is the one who cut Sasori's wing. He described him to me. I know it's him. That is strictly against the rules. He can't be allowed to live."

Sasuke placed himself in front of Deidara protectively. But Louis ignored him. He just glared at Nagato. "We can't allow such barbaric behavior—"

"Oh, really? Sasori poisoned me and tried to kill me in my sleep. Is that permitted, or is that against the rules, Louis? Should we just allow higher demon slaughter now? I'm asking you, since you seem quite the expert."

"You have no proof. Clearly your friends made that up since they seem to have something personal against Sasori, which is frankly quite unprofessional. On the other hand, we know for a fact that this reaper is guilty of cutting another's wings, which is completely—"

"Shut up, both of you." Sasuke unzipped the jacket to reveal Deidara's injury. It was getting worst, with the skin really swelling up all around it. His breathing was shallow, too. "He's dying, Nagato. Fucking do something about it."

Nagato faltered when he saw the wound, but then he composed himself and glared at Louis.

"I wonder if he cut his wing before, or _after_ Sasori landed a fatal blow with a blade that wasn't his? Or is that not against the rules?"

Louis swallowed. "I see. Well, the kind thing, in these circumstances, would be to just finish him up, I think…"

Sasuke stepped in. "Touch him and I kill you, asshole."

"Strong words," Louis said, "from such a young soul." Then he seemed to really see him for the first time, and he narrowed his eyes. "_You_. You're _his_ son, aren't you? When that monster went mad and possessed a human to hide from my men… He had a kid. I heard the stories."

Nagato got really impatient and angry after that, and everything happened really fast.

"I swear to God Louis if you don't leave _right now_…"

His wings seemed to explode from his back and the whole room trembled like there was an earthquake as the reddish feathery limbs spread out and touched the ceiling. In one swift movement Nagato had pinned Louis against the wall right next to the door with an obsidian dagger pressed to his neck. A single drop of blood was shed. A lit candle on a shelf placed close to Louis's face revealed that his traits showed no sign of fear. But still, he left, slipping from Nagato's grasp as he seemed to disappear into the wall, leaving only smoke and a smell like ashes behind. These people weren't strong on using doors, then.

Nagato rushed to Deidara's side in a rustling of feathers, and Sasuke stepped back. He just crossed his arms and watched. Nagato placed hesitant fingers on Deidara's wound, and Deidara seemed to wince. His eyes slowly blinked awake.

"Oh, no, not you…"

"I'm afraid so," said Nagato. His fingers climbed up to Deidara's neck as he saw the bruise there. "I'm going to kill Sasori," he whispered more to himself. "I don't care if he's a DA now. I'll kill him."

"Don't bother," Deidara tried to laugh but coughed instead. "He'd just come back on us."

"Nah, no way. I have contacts in Purgatory, remember? I'll make sure they find him, and lock him up in the deepest cells so he rots there forever with no chance of redemption."

"Ha, that sounds pretty good…"

"This is all very poetic," Sasuke said, "but can you help him or not?"

Nagato touched Deidara's hair. "How are you even still alive?"

"I'm stronger than I look, you bastard."

He smiled. "Yes, I know you are. But your partner is right. You need my help."

Nagato went to his desk and grabbed a glass half-full of some amber liquid. He made to throw it out the window but Deidara shook his head.

"Hey, no, don't throw that out. I want it."

Nagato hesitated, then went back to sit next to Deidara on the narrow bench. "Really? You're dying, and you want scotch?"

"Hell yeah. Hit me with your best shot, baby."

Sasuke was arching an eyebrow. "Um, I don't think—"

But Deidara was sitting up, as much as he could anyway without passing out again, and he grabbed the glass and emptied its contents.

"Ahh… Now I can die a happy demon."

"You think I'd let you die?" Nagato looked amused.

Deidara swallowed and looked up at Nagato through lidded eyes, and every little movement seemed to cost him. "Well, what are you waiting for? Prove me wrong."

Sasuke rather agreed.

So what Nagato did next was kind of weird. He held the glass in place between his knees and cut his wrist with one of his daggers—a non-lethal one, Sasuke assumed. He slit his wrist pretty deep, and the blood poured down and filled the glass pretty quickly. Then he gave it to Deidara. And Deidara drank it like he was the most thirsty man in the world and this was his solace.

Sasuke brought a hand to his lips, feeling rather confused and troubled. "That's the antidote? Your blood?"

"Yes," Nagato said like it was obvious. He looked at Deidara. "Do you want more?"

It seemed the answer was yes, though it wasn't spoken in so many words. Deidara just threw the glass away and it went to shatter against the wall, startling Sasuke. Next Deidara grabbed Nagato's bleeding wrist and licked it and drank his blood. What the…?

"I think I'm in the wrong show," Sasuke said. "Is this The Vampire Diaries?"

Deidara pulled away from Nagato; his wrist had stopped bleeding. Deidara sighed and fell back down on the fur blanket, rolling to the side and seemingly falling back to sleep.

"Don't be silly Sasuke," Nagato smiled at him. "Vampires don't exist."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

_To grunt and sweat under a weary life, but that the dread of something after death, the undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns, puzzles the will and makes us rather bear those ills we have than fly to others we know not of._

Sasuke got back home in the late afternoon to find that Suigetsu and Kiba were already best friends. They were in Suigetsu's bedroom eating pizza. Kiba sat on the bed among the pillows and My Little Pony plushies and he watched Suigetsu play some Star Craft. They were already talking about getting a laptop for Kiba so that he could play too.

The problem with Kiba was that he had been dead a while—Sasuke didn't know how long, in fact he didn't know that much about Kiba at all. But clearly he had been dead a long enough time for his family to be shocked if they saw him again, considering they thought he was a pile of ashes in an urn.

So for now Kiba had to stay with them and crash on the living room couch. Apparently they needn't explain; Kiba had already tossed his only possession—his backpack—on said couch. This apartment was getting crowded.

Eventually they would have to figure something out, get him some fake ID or something. And if he ever saw his family or friends he just had to pretend to be someone that looked oddly similar to this 'Kiba' person when he was younger.

They weren't paying much attention to him, and Sasuke felt tired all of a sudden, after everything. So he headed to his bedroom.

"Hey Sasuke, is Deidara gonna be okay?" Kiba called.

"Yeah he'll be fine…"

"Cool."

He closed the door to his bedroom and leaned on it for a moment, closing his eyes. Everything was just always ups and downs these days. Everything was insane. Adrenaline rush followed by an emotional crash, a thrill and then the inevitable boredom, and the tiredness…

Sasuke went to fall on his bed. The pure, dark blue sky he could see as he looked out the window made him remember his dream with Kurama. Well, it hadn't really been a dream, he supposed. More an out of body experience.

He tried to get some sleep, but something kept nagging at the back of his mind. It made him feel restless and whenever he closed his eyes he thought he could see it. That drawing Kurama had been tracing on the dusty rock, on top of that mountain. He had been trying to tell him something, or show him something, Sasuke was sure of it.

So he closed his eyes and he tried to concentrate on it. And finally all those weird lines Kurama had traced in the dust seemed to make sense. He had been drawing a _face_. Someone's face. Sasuke had no idea how it was possible to draw someone's face so precisely in a bit of dust, but he supposed he shouldn't question an angel fox spirit person.

Hey, wait a second. Sasuke had seen that stupid face before.

It was that guy! That guy at Love Needles with the creepy black eyes and stupid useless questions about tattoos like if they were really permanent and if he should go swimming right after getting it.

So that guy was Naruto's stalker. Sasuke didn't have a name but at least he knew what he looked like.

And suddenly something occurred to him. Well, several things. But they were all sort of coming together like pieces of a puzzle. And he sat up with a start; suddenly he wasn't feeling tired at all. Just angry. Very, deeply, incredibly infuriated.

Someone who had hurt Naruto in the past.

Something troubling Naruto, making him uneasy. He would talk about it when he was ready.

Taking the supernatural energy forcefully…

_How exactly had he 'forcefully taken' that supernatural energy from Naruto? _

Something that had happened to Naruto… Someone who had hurt him…

How had he not figured this out before?

He would _kill_ that guy. He would find him, and kill him. And he didn't care if Temari had already killed him and brought him back. Sasuke would kill him again. Then he would follow him to Hell and kill him _again_ if he had to. Or no, even better, he would find those annoying black shadowy creature things and show them who was boss. And they would cower in fear before him, like they had done with Deidara that time. Sasuke would find a way to order them around, and he would make those black things torment _that guy_ for the rest of his life—afterlife, whatever.

Yes.

…

It was Saturday night and Naruto had to work at the stupid Espress coffee shop. His boss still wasn't back from his trip, so Naruto hadn't quit yet. And his geeky colleague Shikamaru was tired of doing all the weekend night shifts, so Naruto had gotten stuck with it.

12:06, the digital numbers flashed on the cash register. Tomorrow would be the first quarter of the moon. And then in a week, almost the full moon… He wouldn't be alone this time. He had been seeing Hinata and they were becoming friends. She would spend the full moon with him and show him all her favorite spots in Central Park. She said it was easy to be discreet if they were careful. Besides, she said her wolf form was more the size of a husky dog, so people never freaked out when they saw her.

There were some customers right now, drinking lattes and checking their social networks instead of studying as pop music played on the crappy speakers. Well, it was Saturday night, after all. Naruto couldn't blame them for not being too motivated to study. There was still Sunday.

As he washed one of the coffee machines in the large sinks behind the counter, Naruto's phone buzzed in his pocket. He ignored it. Partly because his hands were in the soapy water, but also because he knew it was probably from Sasuke again.

Naruto felt his chest tighten uneasily. He had been ignoring Sasuke the whole week, and he felt so guilty. Sasuke had been so insistent about wanting to see him and talk to him. But Naruto was scared. He was having doubts. He… He didn't know what the fuck was going on, actually. He couldn't explain it even if he wanted to.

Those feelings were too intense, honestly. They threatened to overwhelm him whenever he thought about Sasuke. And it sort of hurt, too, which was weird… He wasn't sure that was the guilt, or something else…

_Maybe I'm in love with him, or something weird like that._

See? That was what happened when he thought too much about Sasuke. And his chest sort of hurt, and he just… really didn't want to think about that kind of stuff. It was way too scary for some reason. And he knew it didn't make sense but… he was avoiding him. So there. The end.

In the next hour or so, people left one by one, and the coffee shop was empty, leaving Naruto alone with his thoughts and the lame music—Sasuke was right pop music really wasn't that great. He had finished cleaning up most of the stuff, and now he sat at one of the pale wood tables with some notebooks in front of him, thinking that he should try and get some studying done himself. So that maybe he wouldn't fail _all_ of his classes.

Some part of him wanted to reach for his phone and read Sasuke's texts, but the other part of him—the scared part—won and he didn't. Instead he sighed and let his eyes trail lazily across the room at all those stupid decorations. Wall scrolls, a Chinese calendar and a Buddha statue, really now, what did that have to do with anything? This was just a coffee shop. Maybe his boss dreamed of eventually changing it to a cheap Asian restaurant. Naruto opened his notebooks. Geography. That wasn't so bad. He kind of liked geography. He could almost name all the countries, though he wasn't too good with cities yet. But still, he liked geography better than history. He didn't care much for all those presidents.

Naruto never got to study. And not because he let himself get distracted by his thoughts again—though that would probably have happened eventually—but because some people walked in the coffee shop then. Naruto got to his feet and started to make his way behind the counter, but then he saw them. Really saw them, and recognized them. One of them brought back particularly bad memories.

And he felt a lurch in his stomach as though he'd just dropped twenty feet.

Suddenly he was brought back one year ago, in the shower room after swimming practice. It was the coach's last day. His name was Sai. They were alone in the shower room. Naruto never saw it coming. Sai was the kind of guy who had a pretty good poker face. So when he made a move, Naruto was shocked. He might have been curious, but he definitely wasn't ready. And… not like that. So he tried to fight back, but Sai threw him to the floor roughly and Naruto got hurt, and then he couldn't stop it from happening…

He never told anyone, because he was embarrassed and humiliated, and he thought he never had to see Sai again anyway.

But he stood in front of him right now. Same black eyes, short cropped hair, muscular and athletic frame. He wore an expensive looking navy coat. Beside him stood Temari, but Naruto barely saw her—though he did notice that she locked the door and shut the blinds.

"Naruto. Long time no see," Sai smiled at him. That guy's smiles always looked somewhat faked.

Naruto was frozen, unable to move, standing between the table where he had been sitting with his notebooks still open and the counter with all the coffee machines.

Temari looked around the place distastefully, taking a few steps until she stood in the middle of the room, her heels clicking the floor. She crossed her arms.

"So… I don't think I need to introduce you two."

"No," Sai tilted his head, "you don't."

Some very cheerful music was still playing on the radio. It just felt really out of place now. Naruto felt sick.

He just ignored Temari. "How did you find me?"

Sai shrugged. "Facebook. You know, there's an option to hide your stuff from people who aren't your friends. Well, I wasn't actually planning to stalk you—not yet, anyway. But I made some new," he glanced at Temari, "acquaintances. And we need more."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Temari was playing with a lock of her curly hair. "I think he doesn't know."

"You really don't know, do you?" Sai stepped closer to him. He made a noise like a laugh. "All this time, you thought I just wanted to have some fun with you that time? That wasn't it. Well, that too, but… Anyway, I stole some of your powers, Naruto."

"You stole my…" He whispered, "But I wasn't even using them back them."

Sai shrugged one shoulder. "That's why you didn't notice."

"Why are you with her?" Naruto glanced at Temari, and she smiled at him coldly.

"We met by chance. I felt her supernatural energy. She was interested in my powers. You know, I even visited your new boyfriend at that tattoo place. Poor guy was so tired he was sleeping on the job."

"Sasuke..? What did you do—?"

"Nothing," he sighed. "His powers were sort of… blocked. Turns out necromancers are off limits. Besides, he really isn't my type. You, on the other hand…" Sai stepped closer again. Naruto was stuck between him and the counter.

"Do you absolutely have to sleep with him to get the powers?" Temari asked impatiently. "Because I haven't got all night."

"Well, of course, I don't _have_ to, but it's more fun that way…"

Naruto had closed his hand on his phone. What should he do? Dial 911, maybe… After all, if Sai wanted to rape him, that was a crime, so—

But Sai saw what he was doing and he grabbed his arm, digging his nails in his skin like claws. He stole the phone and looked at it.

"Let go of me you asshole…" Naruto tried to fight back but then he saw Temari approaching. With a gun pointed at him.

He swallowed and stopped moving completely. Guns had that effect, he supposed. She smiled, and shrugged.

"Most reapers prefer blades. I'm more of a handgun type of girl. Now, you're going to be a good boy and give him your powers."

"Trust me," Naruto said, trying to stall for time, "you don't want them. I mean, the ability to turn into a fox. Who would want that? It's useless, when you think about it."

Temari stared. "We're not talking about that, love. You have several other interesting… abilities. Thanks to Sai I got to try some of it and it's quite nice. Like this." She brought a fist up and when she opened it Naruto saw a tiny flame dancing in between her fingers. But it faded and disappeared rather quickly. "I can't keep it up very long, though. Just enough to light a cigarette, I suppose." She smiled. "We'd like to see what happens when we steal more."

Naruto was backed against the counter. How come she was able to produce fire like that? He had practiced some stuff at home, with that same warm aura he had experienced when healing that Kiba dude. He'd been able to recreate it. But except for making the temperature of the room go up a degree or two, he hadn't accomplished much. Itachi just complained about the heat in the apartment and called the landlord and then Naruto felt bad and just stopped.

While Temari was talking, Sai had been skimming through Naruto's text messages. What an asshole… He hadn't even read those yet.

"This is adorable. You'll love this, Temari." He read Sasuke's texts out loud. "I really miss you, and I need to talk to you about so many things. It would be great if we could see each other. Are you at home, or are you working?" Sai glanced at Temari, then at the phone again. "There are more recent ones, too: I'm really worried about you." Sai looked up. "Aw, that's sweet. He's worried. Why didn't you read those, Naruto? Don't you like him no more? Maybe he's smothering you. You should break up with him." Then he went on, "I'm really worried about you. I can't wait anymore. I need to see you. This is important. I called Itachi and he said you were at work, so I'm coming right now…"

Temari and Sai exchanged another glance.

"How long ago did he send this?" Temari asked, still aiming her gun at Naruto.

"Not very long," Sai answered.

As if on cue, they heard the sound of someone trying to open the door. It startled Temari. Everyone went silent.

"Shit," Temari hissed, "we've left the lights on. He'll know someone's inside."

"Well he can't get in, anyway, right?" Sai replied. But he sounded nervous. His hold on Naruto's arm tightened.

Having him so close made Naruto feel noxious. Everything about Sai triggered bad memories, even his scent, which Naruto found very unpleasant—he had a very developed olfactory sense so he couldn't ignore it. Sai still used the same obnoxious body spray as one year ago.

Even though it had been a while, he could still remember it so clearly, the roughness of the floor against his skin, the humiliation, the hurt, the pain, Sai's impatient lips, then his hand on his mouth to muffle his protests, and the sound of the showers covering the rest…

Naruto's thoughts cleared with a start as he saw a cloud of dark smoke curling up right next to him. And Sasuke just… appeared. Naruto had never felt so relieved. And he had to say… Sasuke looked kinda really cool. His dark hair was windblown like he'd been running, his boots, clothes and gloves were tight and slick black like those reaper clothes Deidara always wore, and he took a fighting stance, holding up a long dark sword. The hilt was black with a red snake curling around it. Alert dark brown eyes scanned the room and seemed to register the situation quite quickly.

"You," he said to Sai in a calm but threatening voice. "I'm going to kill you."

And then all of a sudden Temari aimed her gun at Sasuke and shot. Naruto wanted to scream but nothing came out. But the bullet never hit home. With a flicker of his sword Sasuke stopped the bullet in flight and it was sent rolling onto the floor, all the way to the corner.

Naruto was too shocked to speak, for a different reason now. Okay, that was… bad ass.

Temari arched an eyebrow. "Deidara showed you a few tricks, then? That's cute."

But Sasuke ignored her completely. He glared at Sai, and if a glare could kill, then Sai would drop dead right this instant.

"Let go of him," Sasuke said in a very quiet but menacing tone.

Sasuke's eyes were locked to where Sai still held Naruto's arm, which was bruising up. Naruto realized he felt weak. He had thought it was from the trauma of seeing Sai again, but what if his powers were being stolen?

Sai was hesitating.

At first Naruto thought Sasuke would ask him again.

But in a very agile and powerful movement he swung the sharp blade across Sai's arm. And cut it clean off.

Sai fell to the floor, screaming in pain and holding his mutilated arm, blood pouring out generously.

Apparently, asking again wasn't Sasuke's style.

Freaked out, Naruto grabbed the pale, bleeding hand that was still holding his arm and he threw it to the floor next to Sai. Horrified, Naruto watched as Sai took it and sort of tried to put it back. Naruto felt sick, the cookies he'd eaten earlier threatening to come out.

Temari had gone to a crouching position next to Sai. Sasuke looked very calm as he just kept pointing his sword toward them. But he didn't need to attack again.

Smoke was rising around Temari.

"All right, you win, we're leaving. You had good timing. But that won't always be the case. No one is safe as long as you don't give up this city, do you understand? Speaking of which, I'm surprised you didn't ask me how Ino is doing. Anyway, you think you intimidated me tonight. You didn't. This is nothing. I know powerful people on the other side. This can be healed."

_Ino? Who's Ino?_

"Yeah I've met Louis," Sasuke said dismissively, "I'm not afraid of him."

"You should be."

_Louis? _

Sasuke was arching his eyebrow. "If all I have to do is mention my father for Louis to wet his pants then I'm sorry but I really don't see why I should be afraid."

That seemed to shut her up. They disappeared, leaving a small puddle of blood on the floor where Sai had been clutching his arm.

"You cut his arm," Naruto said shakily. He was surprised he could even speak. He realized his entire body was shaking really badly. And his arm hurt.

Sasuke dropped the sword and erased the distance between them. He held Naruto, his arms wrapping around him and making him feel safe again. But Naruto couldn't stop shaking.

"I know, but… it was the right thing to do, Naruto. He was stealing your powers. Couldn't you tell?"

He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut and burying his face in Sasuke's shoulder. His black hair was soft. And he smelled nice. Naruto had missed him so much. He had been stupid to avoid him all this time.

"Honestly," Sasuke went on, "he's lucky I just cut his arm, and not his head. I know what he did to you. I know everything."

Naruto frowned. "You do?" But how?

"I had some hints, but mostly I figured it out." Sasuke's arms squeezed him tight, comforting him. Naruto held him back even though his arm still hurt. He felt so weak and embarrassed. But if Sasuke could just keep holding him like this for a little while, then he felt like maybe he was going to be okay.

"You're trembling," Sasuke said softly.

He did hold him for some more time, but eventually he pulled away gently. One of his gloved hands rested against the side of Naruto's neck, and his other arm stayed around his waist.

"You know," he sighed quietly, "you should've just told me."

"I know."

"Anyway, it doesn't matter now." Sasuke searched his eyes. "Did he do anything to you just now, or…?"

"No he didn't have time," said Naruto quickly.

"Okay." Sasuke looked relieved. "I'm glad."

"But how do you know? You say you got hints…?"

Sasuke looked away, and eventually pulled away from Naruto completely. He brought up a hand to his hair, and massaged the back of his neck. Naruto couldn't help but look at him. He always found Sasuke's movements effortlessly graceful, even the little things he did.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. You're not going to believe this, um, your," he waved a hand, "your ancestor spirit guide came to me, in my dreams. And he warned me about… about… this… fucking… worthless…"

"Sai."

"I don't even care what his name is."

Naruto made a nervous laugh. He felt like he wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. He was a mess. Slowly, he went to sit at the table. He gathered his notebooks and closed them, placing them in a neat pile in the middle of the table.

"Kurama contacted you?"

Sasuke grabbed the chair and sat in front of him. "So you do know about him?"

"Yeah. He's tried to contact me before, a few times… But I never let him."

"Why not?"

"My mom warned me against him. Said you could never really trust him. He'll be honest sometimes, but other times he'll trick you, and you'll never be able to tell the difference."

Sasuke considered this, and he leaned back in his chair. "All right, well, I'll keep that in mind, then."

"You were really bad ass with that sword!" Naruto exclaimed. He couldn't help himself anymore. "How did you learn so fast? Or did you uncover some hidden powers?"

The hint of a smile crossed Sasuke's face. "A little bit of both. I took a week off work, told everyone I was sick. But really I've been training with Deidara the whole time. I'm kind of broke now, but it was totally worth it."

Naruto smiled weakly. He still felt shaky, but he was getting better. "Yeah, it was."

Sasuke reached out to hold his hand on the table, and his brown eyes looked up at him through thin strands of hair that had fallen in his face. "Naruto, there's more. Listen…"

And he did. He sat back and let Sasuke hold his hand—it felt warm and calming, so he wasn't complaining—as he filled him in about the incident at the rock climbing gym, and Ino. Then Sasuke told him all about Deidara getting hurt because of Sasori, and Nagato and Louis and weird Hell politics stuff which Sasuke didn't seem to really understand himself, so Naruto didn't push it.

Then he told him about Kiba.

"So Kiba's really alive?"

Sasuke nodded slowly, looking down at their joined hands.

"Is he… okay?"

"Yeah apparently. Well, he has it easy. Suigetsu's been really friendly to him. He doesn't have to pay rent. Just keeps borrowing our stuff. But that's okay I mean we'll figure it out eventually."

"How did you know to come here?"

"I had a feeling. My texts were getting pretty urgent and you weren't replying, so I thought either you didn't want to see me, or you were in trouble. Either way, I had nothing to lose."

Naruto felt silly now. "I'm sorry about not replying sooner. I did want to see you, I was just too scared."

"You don't have to be scared with me."

"Well I don't know you did just cut a guy's arm with a sword. That's pretty scary."

"The thought of him hurting you like that… I got furious, you know? I couldn't stop myself. About that, also… if you ever need to talk about it, you can tell me, okay? I want you to know that."

"I know I can. Thanks… Same to you, by the way. I know I was a jerk to you those first few days, but I'm normally a good listener."

"Well, the reason I figured it out— what happened to you, I mean—wasn't just because of Kurama. The way you said that you'd talk about it when you were ready, it reminded me of when I said the same thing to Suigetsu, a while ago. My foster parents before Suigetsu's parents were kind of shitty. The guy caught me once watching gay porn and—"

Naruto tried to keep the mood light. "You were watching _porn_?"

Sasuke's lips twitched into a small smile. "I know, right?"

"Who does that?"

"I should be ashamed."

Naruto just squeezed his hand. "Anyway, what happened?"

"He already had his doubts about me not being into girls. He thought it was weird and he kept asking me why I didn't like girls. He'd had too much to drink that time, so he roughened me up." Sasuke cleared his throat, looking away. "He didn't rape me, but he came close. He took off my clothes and slapped my ass and grabbed it but he didn't… He just told me not to move and he jerked himself off. He said if I moved he'd fuck me so I better not move. So I just stayed there on the floor like an idiot while he… I can't possibly know what you went through, but I'm just trying to say that I know that kind of fear and humiliation…"

"How old were you?"

"Fourteen."

"Did you have to stay with them afterwards?" Naruto asked, horrified.

"No, no… I went back to foster care… and then Suigetsu's parents took me in. So it was great after that."

"Thank you for telling me."

Sasuke tilted his head. "Why?"

"Just… I don't know. I do want to know more about you. It's just that with everything that's been going on, sometimes I forget there's a real person underneath all the spooky necromancer black smoke thing."

"Well same here. You're amazing. I mean, when you healed Kiba that was really impressive."

"I don't know if I can still do that though, if Sai stole more of my powers…"

"We'll get them back for you. Hey, Naruto, you look really tired. Let's get out of here. Let me walk you home."

"Such a gentleman," Naruto teased. He sighed and pulled away, getting up to his feet. He grabbed his phone. "I'm calling Shikamaru. I'll tell him I'm sick or something."

"Tell him you have diarrhea. That always works."

Naruto made a face. "But that's gross."

"That's why it works."

Fifteen minutes later they were on their way. Shikamaru didn't mind if they closed the shop for one night. He might be the one in charge when the boss was gone, but he wasn't very strict. Naruto still had to clean that blood stain on the floor before leaving but it wasn't so bad, and Sasuke helped him. Sasuke also wiped his sword clean and sheathed it at his belt.

Once they were outside Naruto asked him where he got the sword.

"Little gift from Deidara." Sasuke touched the hilt and looked around in the street like he was afraid people would notice. But there weren't too many people this late—not here, anyway. There weren't enough bars to attract them.

"So you two are getting along then?"

"I guess so, yeah," Sasuke said like he was surprised by it himself.

"That first night I could tell you could see him." Naruto looked down as they walked side by side. His converse sneakers looked small next to Sasuke's combat boots. Naruto didn't understand people who always wore boots, even when it wasn't cold outside. Wasn't it uncomfortable?

"You were totally freaking out that night," Naruto added.

"You mean that time you were a total jerk?" Sasuke replied teasingly.

"You're gonna have to be more specific."

"Ha! At least you admit it. You know," Sasuke faked a concerned look, "you really do look tired. Are you sure you don't need me to carry you?"

"I'm fine, no, what're you—"

Ignoring his protests, Sasuke lowered himself to grab his waist so he could haul him over his shoulder like some heavy package, and yeah. Just like Naruto had done that first night.

He couldn't help but laugh, slapping at Sasuke's back. "Stop it! I get it, I get it, I was a dick. I'm sorry! I really am. You've made your point."

Sasuke walked to the side of the nearest building, next to some metallic emergency stairs. He put Naruto down and pinned him against the wall, smiling.

"You think you can just say sorry and get away with it? Because you're so pretty?"

Naruto smiled back. They were standing really close. It was so silent everywhere, making him feel like they were in their own little world. There was no wind tonight, just the sound of cars driving by the avenue.

"I was stupid that night. I was freaking out. I didn't know what to do and my brain came up with the most idiotic plan. I thought Itachi was dying," he admitted. "So I was obsessed with saving him. You know I'd do the same for you now."

"What?" Sasuke feigned to be offended. "You mean go out and seduce some guy into coming home with you? I'd rather you let me die."

He laughed and Sasuke joined in. And then they kissed… Naruto threw his arms around Sasuke's shoulders and lifted a foot, resting it flat against the brick wall they were leaning on. Sasuke was an amazing kisser. He always knew exactly what Naruto wanted. Never pushing too hard, but at the same time Naruto could tell he was holding back and it was costing him, which kind of secretly turned him on. And the way Sasuke held his waist and let his hands wander up and down his back, it was like… Naruto wasn't too sure how to describe it. Like he was Sasuke's favorite thing in the world to hold, and his fingers always left a tingling sensation across Naruto's skin.

But then Naruto had to pull away. And he regretted losing the moment, because he still craved Sasuke's lips and his touch so badly, but there was something nagging at him and it wouldn't let up.

"What are you thinking?" Sasuke whispered.

"Just… something Temari said. I'm just worried."

"What did she say?" Sasuke said mockingly. "I couldn't hear her over the sound of Sai bleeding."

Sasuke was acting so sadistic all of a sudden. Strangely Naruto didn't mind too much.

But he wasn't in the mood for smiling or joking right now. "She said no one was safe. Sasuke, our friends, our families, everyone. What if they go after them next? What if they go after Itachi?"

"They wouldn't…" But Sasuke's expression became worried.

"Let's go." Naruto took Sasuke's arm and led the way. They passed two more buildings then walked inside and Naruto fumbled with his keys before finding the right one and unlocking the door. He headed to the elevator but Sasuke made a turn to go take the stairs.

Naruto stared. "What are you doing?"

Sasuke hesitated. "I don't like elevators."

"It's the fifth floor."

"I know that."

"The elevator's faster," Naruto argued. Sasuke was so weird.

"It won't be faster," he said, "if we get stuck in it."

"That never happens."

"You say that," Sasuke raised a finger, "but what if today is the one time that it does happen?"

Great, now Naruto didn't feel like taking the elevator anymore.

"Damn it you win." He followed Sasuke to the stairs and they started climbing them up really fast.

Was Sasuke trying to prove that he was faster, or something? Because Naruto felt very competitive all of a sudden. So he pushed his leg muscles to go faster.

They shoved each other out of the way at every landing to try to outrun the other. Naruto couldn't help but laugh at the end. They both arrived at the same time anyway. This was so silly.

"You're really immature Sasuke," he said, panting. "I'm disappointed."

"I'm immature? You started it."

"_You_ started it!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but then he hardly repressed a smile as he let Naruto pass ahead in the empty bland corridor. Naruto went to unlock the apartment door. He felt Sasuke's eyes on him and it felt intimidating. He was always so self-conscious whenever Sasuke was around. It was exhausting. Maybe that was why he'd been avoiding him.

Naruto pushed the door open and stepped in the quiet apartment.

"He's probably asleep," he whispered, and Sasuke nodded.

They kicked off their shoes—Itachi was a bit of a neat freak and had a strict no-shoes-inside policy—and walked down the dark hallway to Itachi's bedroom. The door was left ajar and they could see that he was sleeping soundly. Naruto sighed in relief.

"He's fine. Come on." He put a hand on Sasuke's back briefly to lead him to his own bedroom.

Naruto closed the door and flicked on the lights. His eyes hurt a bit, and he should have felt tired, but he didn't. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Sasuke—Sasuke with his model-like tallness, confident attitude and sexy black outfit—was standing in his bedroom right now.

"I take it you're inviting me to stay the night, then?" he teased. Why did his voice have to be so deliciously masculine and smooth? That wasn't fair.

Naruto felt his face heating up, and his heart thumping in his chest. Ugh. So silly. But he couldn't help it.

"No," he said, "I mean, yes, but only because we need to talk. About Itachi."

Sasuke looked a bit taken aback. "About Itachi?"

Naruto grabbed his mother's journal, which had been resting on his night table—a voluminous leather bound book with his mother's elegant handwriting covering every page, and some pictures and articles that had been slid inside here and there.

He sat cross-legged on his bed among the mess of sheets and clothes and opened the journal in his lap. "I want to find a way to protect Itachi." He looked up. "And you're going to help me."

There was a good chance that Temari and Sai would try to use Itachi as leverage to get Naruto to give them all his powers. He wasn't too clear on how that worked exactly. But he didn't care right now. Not his priority. If he had some powers left, then he would use them to protect Itachi, because his adoptive brother had been through enough already, and he needed a break from all the supernatural crap.

"I know there's a spell in there we could try," he said, flipping the pages. "Some kind of protection spell. If I can just find it…"

While he searched Sasuke roamed around the small bedroom. Naruto felt a bit embarrassed about all the messiness, but Sasuke didn't seem to mind.

Unlike Itachi. He would totally freak out at all the dust in the corners and the heaping piles of clothes. Hey, it _was_ organized. A pile of dirty clothes over there in the corner, and a pile of clean ones on his chair. Totally legit system. Anyway. Itachi wasn't allowed in his room.

Sasuke picked up a small notebook that had been tossed on the floor next to the bed. When Naruto saw what it was he freaked.

"Hey, no, don't read that."

Too late.

Sasuke had already flipped through the pages, and looked at the entries. He smiled, amused. "Is this a dream journal?"

Naruto extended his arm lazily to try and snatch it, but Sasuke just stepped away from the bed, and he kept reading.

"Stop reading it."

Sasuke didn't stop. In fact, he started reading out loud. "_It was fucked up tonight. I was going out with Sasuke and he had taken way too much stuff. Like three doses of speed. And at some point I could tell that he wasn't feeling okay. It was weird because in the dream I was on something too, and I was starting to feel it. But Sasuke went to the bathroom and I followed him, and he wasn't doing so good. It wasn't a good dream at all. But I'm still glad I had it, because it just shows that I worry about Sasuke. I care about him. I'll just have to keep an eye on him so it doesn't happen in real life._"

Naruto felt so completely embarrassed. But at least Sasuke hadn't read one of the sex dreams…

"I'm not a drug addict," Sasuke said matter-of-factly, "you don't have to worry about me."

"I'm not worried," he said very quickly.

Sasuke read a specific sentence once more: _"I'm still glad I had it, because it just shows that I worry about Sasuke."_

Naruto threw a pillow at him, and Sasuke just dodged it, smiling.

"I wouldn't take three doses of speed. Are you crazy?"

"It's just a stupid dream! Stuff I write first thing in the morning when I feel like it. Those are private."

"They're hilarious. Oh my God, the next one!" And Sasuke read it. Of course. "_I dreamed about Jesus. In my dream Jesus is a sensitive, flawed individual portrayed by Jared Leto. Some horrible stuff happens to his family (he's got some brothers and sisters in my dream) because of some war. But God (I guess?) makes him forget all those memories so he'll focus on being—well, Jesus. But then he remembers everything anyway. Also he's in love with a guy. Yup, I like my version better. And maybe it's closer to the truth! Who knows? Because he kept going on about tolerance. So I'm sure he loved gays and stuff. He loved everybody. So there_."

Sasuke actually fell to the floor and held his stomach because he was laughing so much.

"Stop reading that," Naruto exclaimed, his face flushed, "I think I found the spell."

"Jared Leto? Man, this is too good. I _would_ watch that movie."

"Shut up, it's just stupid dreams I like to write sometimes…"

"Gays and stuff," Sasuke quoted and laughed some more. "What's the _stuff_ for?"

Naruto was trying to focus on reading his mother's instruction for a protection spell. "You're being very distracting," he accused.

"Can I own the rights to this?" Sasuke smiled, holding the small notebook up in the air. "I'll use it for writing material. I think I'll write a screenplay for that one, actually. And I'll phone Jared Leto's agent and see if he wants to play my gay Jesus. We'll make the movie together and offend loads of people."

Naruto rolled his eyes and reached out to take the notebook from Sasuke's hand. He tossed it in a drawer, before sitting back on his bed, annoyed.

"Yeah, very funny."

"No I'm serious."

"Well you can write your screenplay later we have more important things to do right now. And… you'll _phone_ his agent? _Loads_ of people? You've been spending too much time with that British reaper."

"I have," Sasuke amended.

Naruto studied him. Even sitting on the floor Sasuke managed to look all graceful and lean and athletic. Feline-like. "With all your training."

"Yeah."

"You've really been at it for a whole week non-stop?" He asked and Sasuke just nodded. Naruto couldn't help but laugh. "Dude, you got a training montage."

Sasuke's eyes widened as he considered it. "You're right. I totally did.

"Any anecdotes?"

"I'll tell you later. You said you found the spell?" Sasuke got up and stretched his long limbs. It was almost painful for Naruto to tear his eyes away from him and look back at the page in his lap instead.

"Yeah. Okay. First we need candles."

Naruto had a box of matches in his drawer so he used those to light up a bunch of candles which he gathered in a circle on the floor. His mother always used candles for spells. She said it helped her concentrate, and that it was a sort of placebo effect more than a real help for the spell. But it comforted him to use them too.

They sat together in the circle and held hands.

"I feel silly," Sasuke admitted.

"Shut up this is important. Just be quiet and let me do this."

He had his mother's journal on his lap again, open at the right page. He felt like it gave him strength. He breathed in and out deeply then started reading.

"I seek the spiritual protection of a guardian angel that will accept to show themselves in whatever form they prefer, for someone who is very dear to me. In exchange I offer my eternal gratitude and I will owe them more than my life…"

"More than your life?" Sasuke hissed, disrupting him. "That's a little extreme, no?"

Naruto hushed him. "It's what my mother wrote. You have to exaggerate with them. Don't worry about it." He kept going. "I summon you to humbly ask for your protection, so if you accept, please show yourself, and I will be forever grateful."

"This is getting a little redundant."

"Sasuke stop it."

There was a sort of shifting in the air then, and it was like the floor was tilting and the walls closing in on them, followed by a brief high-pitched, almost deafening noise. But it didn't hurt their ears.

And then there he was, the fox spirit—in the form of, well, a fox. He was bigger than a wolf, and his fur was bright red, reflecting the light of the candles. He seemed to be surrounded by sunlight even though the room was dark, and he had a fluffy white tipped tail that danced all around him in the air. Like an excited dog that would wag his tail.

"Kurama?" said Naruto.

"_You look a bit disappointed,"_ the fox spirit said telepathically, _"were you expecting someone else? I'm still your spirit guide, you know."_

"I thought this might happen," Sasuke admitted.

Kurama's hazel eyes turned to him. _"You can hear me?"_

"Apparently."

"_That is interesting. Perhaps because I've made contact with you once before."_

Naruto interrupted them. "My mother said to be careful with you."

"_Kushina was paranoid. If you want my protection, you have it."_

He shook his head. "Not for me. For Itachi. I need you to protect him."

"_No problem."_

"So you'll do it? Just like that?"

"_Of course."_

"So you don't want anything in return?" Sasuke said suspiciously.

The fox seemed to snarl. _"Eternity is a long time. I'm sure I'll come up with something."_

Sasuke glanced at Naruto. "I'm not sure this is a good idea…"

Kurama replied before Naruto could say anything. "Oh, come on. That was just a little joke. You've already summoned me. I'll protect Itachi. He won't see me. I will only show myself to his opponents if they come."

Naruto had a feeling that Kurama knew exactly what opponents they were talking about. Somehow the fox knew everything. He had gone to Sasuke about Sai, hadn't he?

_So he really must know everything about my life. _

In fact, Kurama was narrowing his beady eyes right now as he stared at him.

"_I can't believe you let that thief steal more of your powers. You barely had the necessary energy to summon me here tonight, I hope you know that."_

Now that Kurama mentioned it, Naruto did feel excruciatingly tired. He kind of wanted nothing more than to lie down right there on the floor and sleep forever.

Sasuke spoke up. "I'll make sure he gets them back. You watch over Itachi and make sure that necromancer bitch doesn't get her hands on him."

"_Understood. I like your style Sasuke. You're a fast learner, I like that. Nice sword, by the way,"_ he added as a last touch before disappearing.

There was another weird disturbance of the air like when he'd appeared. This time when the floor seemed to tilt under him, Naruto fell and Sasuke caught him.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Sasuke proceeded to blow off all the candles—which, Naruto had to admit, made for a much safer environment.

"I don't know, um… Are the walls still moving?"

"No."

"Oh." Naruto closed his eyes and they burned. He had a throbbing headache all of a sudden.

Sasuke helped him to the bed and Naruto grabbed a pillow and curled up on himself.

"Did you want me to sleep on the floor, or—?" Sasuke was hesitating.

"Don't be silly. This is a double bed. And I trust you," Naruto said without looking at him.

"I won't do anything," said Sasuke reassuringly as he lay down on the other side of the bed, trying to detangle the sheets so he could cover himself up. Then he gave up.

"I just said I trust you."

There was a silence. Naruto realized that, no matter how tired he felt, he really couldn't sleep with Sasuke in the bed with him. It was just so… intimate. He'd never slept in the same bed as someone before, except in parties during which he was completely drunk and couldn't even remember anything about it the next day, so that didn't really count. And this was _his_ bed, in his bedroom. It was just so private and special. But somehow he didn't mind too much. He was glad that it was Sasuke there with him, and not anyone else.

Naruto realized it made him feel warm and safe. He didn't even need to turn around and look at him. Just knowing he was there made him feel better. Somehow, he'd felt lonely before without even realizing it. But it was scary to embrace those feelings of warmth and safety, wasn't it? Because then what if Sasuke never came back and he was left feeling lonely again? He supposed this was why people kept crying and whining after a break up; they just felt lonely again and they weren't ready.

"Sasuke, are you sleeping?"

"Yes."

Naruto smiled into his pillow. "Thanks for saving me earlier. I don't remember if I said it."

"If we start thanking each other for every time we've saved each other, it'll never end."

"Heh, that's true. I still can't believe you cut that guy's arm. I should be afraid of you. But I'm not." Instead he felt safe in Sasuke's presence. Go figure.

"What Temari said is probably true," Sasuke said with a low voice, "they'll just get it healed. He's not some normal guy, Naruto. You heard Kurama. He's a supernatural thief. And now he's with Temari. And… he raped you, didn't he? Believe me, I wanted to do a lot more than just cut his arm."

He could almost feel Sasuke tense. Naruto also felt an unpleasant tightening in his chest at hearing those words.

"It makes it sound so real when you say it like that. I never told anyone before. I didn't even tell you. You just figured it out, I guess. You seemed to know already, so…"

"I was like ninety nine percent sure. It just made sense."

"Can we please… not talk about it anymore."

"Of course," he whispered, "I'm sorry."

Naruto closed his eyes. Great. Now he'd made Sasuke feel guilty.

He wanted so badly to turn around and reach out to him, to hold him, to kiss him, to touch him, to… But Naruto was afraid that it would go too far, and then he would stop because he was uncomfortable and terrified and so _annoyed_ with himself but unable to keep going nonetheless. And Sasuke would be turned on but frustrated—Naruto was seventeen and he had hormones, too, so he understood. He wanted to forget about Sai, and he wanted to be with Sasuke, but it just didn't seem right. Not right now.

Why couldn't he talk about all of this with Sasuke? The words just didn't want to come out.

But he still couldn't sleep.

So instead he said something completely different. Something that had been bothering him for a while.

"Sasuke… do you think our parents are in Heaven?"

"Honestly? I don't—" He interrupted himself, then said, "I don't know."

"You were going to say I don't think so."

Sasuke's voice was soft. "I just don't think anyone goes there directly after dying, from what I've heard. This is just speculation on my part, but I think you have to prove yourself in the other dimensions somehow, and then once you've done that, you can go. But like I said, I wouldn't know. I'm still a beginner at all of this."

Naruto felt on the verge of tears. But he was probably just tired. "Do you think they're in Hell?"

Living and reliving their worst fears, over and over again, with no one to rescue them from it like Sasuke had done for him back in those tall black trees…

"I don't think so." Sasuke clearly tried to lighten the mood as he went on, "I mean, they've got to be in a better place than that. And what do I know? Maybe they _are_ in Heaven. They sacrificed themselves for us, didn't they? That's got to mean something. If sacrificing yourself for your kid isn't a one way ticket to Heaven, then I don't know what is. It would be pretty empty up there."

Naruto wasn't sure Sasuke actually meant those words. But he smiled. Sasuke was trying to make him feel better.

"Thank you," he whispered, and closed his eyes.

...

Author's note: Sorry for not uploading sooner you guys. No internet at home. I know, right? The horror. I'm using a friend's internet right now to upload these two chappies cause I love you guys. Wish me luck with this whole internet thing. Thanks for reading ^^


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

_Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. _

Naruto was in the middle of a dream in which Sasuke was dead, had become a Dark Angel, and was dating Deidara when someone shook his shoulder to wake him up. He was really grateful to wake up from that dream, even though he had found it strangely hot somehow… Huh.

He looked up and saw long dark hair with gray eyes staring down at him.

"Hinata? Oh shit. I'm so sorry."

Naruto blinked, straightening up his shoulders and clearing his throat. Hinata was lifting her phone in the air.

"I was looking everywhere for you. You never answered your phone."

They were outside. Naruto had been sleeping on a bench. The boring brown walls of the public school he attended loomed over a grassy patch and parking lot.

"You're early though," he told her, sitting up straight and zipping up his slim black sweater. He felt all shivery.

She sat next to him. "No, I'm not. Are you okay?" Her voice was low. Worried.

He considered the cold wind and fading daylight. His eyes scanned the almost empty parking lot. Shit, how long had he been asleep?

Next to him on the bench were his school bag and an empty coffee cup. He'd had coffee, and fallen asleep anyway. Wow… He examined the contents of the bag really quickly just to make sure everything was there. When he saw that his wallet and phone weren't missing, he sighed in relief.

"I'm fine, just tired I guess." He ran a hand through his messy hair, placing it behind his ear. But the wind just made it slip from there again, so he gave up, and crossed his arms against his chest. He folded his leg, propping up a red converse shoe onto the bench.

Hinata didn't go to his school. Her parents had money, he knew that much. She went to a private school. But she had come to meet him here after her classes, so they could hang out a bit. They hadn't been friends for very long. And Naruto figured, if they were going to transform into canines together and spend the night running in the park like a pair of wild stray dogs, they should at least get to know each other better, because that was kind of intimate, no? That was how he felt, anyway. He felt a bit anxious about it actually, for some reason. But the desire to not be alone on the full moon was stronger than his anxiety.

As though reading his mind, Hinata asked, "Do you still want to do it?"

And he knew right away what she was talking about, of course. "Yeah," he answered simply.

Cars drove by, one after the other, as the lights in the street beyond the parking lot turned to green. He could hear really good electronic music from one of the cars. Naruto smiled without really realizing it. He remembered dancing with Sasuke. They had been so close. Holding each other. Sasuke's scent. Those dark brown eyes, so eager, so entrancing. And the way his body had been so desperate for more…

"What are you thinking about?" Hinata asked.

"Nothing."

"Were you thinking about Sasuke?"

"No." He scratched his hair, shrugged. "Maybe." He felt his face heating up. Was he really that obvious?

"Are you still avoiding him?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I just don't know if I can be in a relationship with a guy, you know?"

"So? Be his friend. Take things slow." She looked down, fiddling with the long white scarf wrapped around her delicate neck. "Take it from me," she said, "if you avoid someone for too long, they'll move on to someone else. And then you won't feel too smart."

Naruto let out a low grunt. "That guy you liked is still seeing that other girl then? Sorry I'm bad with names."

"Doesn't matter. And yes, he's still seeing her. Whatever… My parents didn't approve. My brother didn't approve… I'll find someone they approve of eventually." She didn't sound convinced at all.

He looked at her. "Who cares about them though? You should be with the person you want to be with."

She gave him a little smile. "And you should follow your own advice."

Naruto was annoyed with this conversation. He checked his phone. Then grabbed his bag.

"I have band practice. You wanna come?"

"I thought they kicked you out?" But her smile was bright and she looked all excited.

It was contagious, so Naruto smiled back. "They're giving me another chance." He shrugged. "Apparently they couldn't find a better singer. No one can compete with my sexy raspy voice."

"Of course I want to come! Obviously!"

She laughed. They started walking across the parking lot, Naruto taking her to the bus stop.

"My friend's parents have a basement where we can practice. Cliché, huh?"

"It's cliché for a reason." She slid her hands in her jeans pockets, though they were so tight that it seemed only her fingers fit in there. "I don't think Itachi would appreciate it if you brought your drummer and guitarist friends with their instruments to his tiny living room."

Hinata had come over for dinner one time. It was nice; Itachi and Hinata had gotten along well. They were both polite and well-mannered people, of course. They'd talked about the economy and capitalism and how big corporations should be taxed more and stuff. Actually, now that Naruto thought about it, he was really bored during that dinner. Pretty much thought about Sasuke the whole time.

Also, Itachi was so annoying now. He kept asking him if he was straight, bi, or gay, or what. And that it was okay, and that he would love him no matter what, and that they could talk about it if he wanted to, and ugh.

"Itachi can be annoying sometimes."

Hinata looked confused, but she didn't push it. They were on the sidewalk next to some other people waiting for the bus. They were all listening to music, or texting, or both.

"Have you ever invited Sasuke to see your band practice?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"He wouldn't like it anyway," Naruto said defensively. "He just likes electronic music."

"Still, you should ask him. Maybe he'd like it."

"Whatever."

Again, she didn't push it. They didn't talk much after that. He was a bit annoyed with her.

He was annoyed because he knew she was right, of course.

Later, in his friend's basement, they practiced their cover of Smooth Criminal. As his friends butchered the song on their guits, Naruto was having fun, forgetting about all his problems, singing, _"Annie, are you OK?"_

Hinata was smiling, sitting with the other guys' girlfriends.

But Naruto found himself thinking that it would be really cool if Sasuke could hear him sing. Thinking that he should just grow a pair already and tell everyone that he was into a dude and if they weren't okay with that they could just fuck off.

Next time. Next time he would invite Sasuke to hear him sing. They were playing at a shitty bar soon. He would definitely invite Sasuke then.

The decision made him smile. _"You've been hit by, you've been struck by, a smooth criminal."_

…

On the day of the full moon Sasuke got a note. On a tiny pink piece of paper that smelled strongly of vanilla and roses—it reminded him of Temari's perfume and he felt sick. The note was right next to his face on his pillow when he woke up.

'_Dear colleagues, you are cordially invited to the fight for the territory of New York City. It shall take place in a week from now, at the White River battlefield. A portal will be left open for the occasion in Central Park, at The Pond, in the night of April 22__nd__ to 23__rd__ for our army and your, well, whatever you've got, to get through to the other side more easily. We believe this is quite fair on our part, and we've left you quite enough time to prepare. Farewell, friends, and see you on the battlefield. _

_Yours truly,_

_Sasori and Temari_

_P.S. Quite amusing, your fox spirit protecting Sasuke's brother. He did a good job, we were well impressed. Best regards to Naruto for performing such magic.'_

So Temari had been here. And she wanted him to know that she'd been here, too. She could've killed him in his sleep. Maybe she didn't want to stoop so low. Or maybe Sasori and Temari had simply decided to have a bit of a laugh and go through with this fight. After all, Sasuke must be a joke to them, with his army of two.

He had become pretty good at sword fighting, and it had been a lot of fun, actually, all things considered. Rough at first—it didn't help that Deidara sucked at teaching—but very rewarding and kind of exhilarating as he got better at it.

Sasuke glanced under his bed where he usually left his sword. It was missing. He wasn't surprised. Oh, he didn't suspect Temari of taking it. She was more into guns, as she said so herself.

"Suigetsu," he called loudly so his roommate would hear him across the apartment. "Did you steal my sword again?"

At first only silence answered him as he sat on his bed, one knee propped up against his chin, waiting.

Then, "It's not stealing if I just want to look at it!"

"You know you can just ask, right?"

No answer.

Sasuke sighed, kicking the duvet and jumping to his feet. The room started spinning. Ah, damn it. Got up too fast.

Anyway, what good would it do to be good at sparring? Temari liked guns. And yeah he could block bullets if he really concentrated. Time just seemed to slow down for everything but his arm and the sword and it was amazing. Deidara had said he'd never seen anyone learn that quickly before. Said it must be Malachy's powers living through him. Oh, well.

Still, it was pretty bad ass, and Naruto had totally been impressed that time. He grinned at the thought.

But his smile disappeared quickly. He couldn't block bullets with his blade if fifty other people—or who knew how many she had now—attacked him at the same time.

Suddenly his eyes caught that last part of the letter, and he grabbed his phone, deciding he should call Itachi to make sure he was okay. He went to his window, clutching the phone as it rang.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey, Itachi, how are you?"

"_I'm good, how are you? Is something wrong? You sound nervous."_

No shit.

"I'm okay. Are you sure you're all right? Nothing weird happened?"

"_No… Well, now that you mention it, last night was really weird. I was walking home from the subway, and I thought I saw this big… dog. It looked more like a fox actually, but way bigger—bigger than Naruto in his fox form, too. I know you've never seen him like that, but… Anyway, after that it just disappeared, so I thought maybe I imagined it. I've been so tired because of work lately; it wouldn't surprise me if I started having hallucinations or something. Nothing happened, so… Should I be worried?"_

"No, no, everything's fine." Sasuke breathed out in relief, feeling his shoulders relax a bit. "I'm glad you're doing okay. Don't work too hard, though."

"_I'm trying, but these clients, I swear, they're never satisfied. Never go in public relations, Sasuke, it's awful."_

"Okay, I won't." He felt like laughing. If only choosing a path in life was his only problem, like most other young adults.

"_Sasuke… Are you handling everything well with the… supernatural stuff?"_

"Yeah, absolutely. Everything's under control. Don't worry about it."

"_All right, if you say so, I believe you."_

Ouch. Lying to his brother sucked.

"How's Naruto?" Sasuke asked before he could stop himself.

"_He's okay, I think. He's always a little nervous around the full moon but he's used to it by now. How come you're asking me? I thought you guys were friends."_

"We are, but… We haven't been talking that much. We text almost everyday, but when I call he doesn't pick up, so I just stopped trying."

"_Naruto doesn't really like talking on the phone. Don't take it personal. I think he's just really busy with school and work. But he's finally quitting that coffee shop, so that's good."_

"Yeah," Sasuke said softly, "I'm glad. That was too much."

"_Listen, I have to go to work. But thanks for calling. It's always good to hear from you."_

"Yeah, no problem. Have a good day at work."

"_You too."_

Oh, right, Sasuke thought as they hung up, he had to work at Love Needles today. Not quite yet, though.

Sasuke looked outside his window, fingers squeezing at the pale gray curtain. It was raining, which was kind of depressing. It matched his mood. He needed to tell Deidara about this note.

Well, at least Itachi was okay.

Maybe he should tell Naruto about the note, too.

He missed Naruto, actually. They texted. But Sasuke missed the sound of his voice. And he missed seeing him. Reaching up to touch his chest, his fingers felt for the silver chain that hung from his neck, with the feather and wing pendants. Naruto had caught him staring at his necklace in the morning after that night they'd spent together one week ago. And then he'd taken it off and slid it around Sasuke's neck instead, just like that. _'I want you to have it,'_ he had said. _'Why?'_ _'I just want you to. It looks good on you.'_

And Sasuke wore it all the time. He'd never worn necklaces before, but he liked the feel of it against his skin. That wasn't the only reason, obviously. Sasuke pressed his forehead to the cool glass of the window. He listened to the sound of the rain rattling the building, watched as cars drove by, splashing water on the sidewalks.

Naruto said he needed time. So Sasuke was giving him time. But it was frustrating, more than he cared to admit. And it kind of hurt like someone stabbed his chest when Naruto said things like that. He needed time. What did that even mean? How much time?

He felt cold now just thinking about it. Feeling that way about someone, liking everything about them—the way his blue almond shaped eyes looked so soft when he smiled, the glow of his skin like he'd always just been out in the sun, the way he sometimes pinched his lip when he was nervous, and then it got all darkened like it was asking to get kissed better, and his laughter, and just everything—it almost wasn't worth it, because it felt like it hurt more often than not.

_Almost_ wasn't worth it.

Sasuke was suddenly yanked from his inner monologue about Naruto when his favorite reaper appeared in his room. Holding a pink piece of paper.

"Oh you got one, too? Lucky you." Sasuke said, turning to face him and crossing his arms against his chest.

"Yeah, I did." Deidara smiled. "Nice boxers."

"Thank you," Sasuke said evenly, like he hadn't just realized he still wasn't dressed.

"So what are we going to do?" Deidara grabbed the computer chair and rolled it around so he could sit backwards on it.

"Well I suppose we have two options. We surrender or we fight."

Deidara tucked his hair behind his ears. "Yeah surrendering isn't an option. Even if we surrender, they'll kill us. Especially if we stay here. A third option would be to move to another city. But then we'd be stepping over another reaper's territory, and the same problems might arise." He hugged the back of the chair, sighing.

"I'm not moving, anyway." He had friends here. And he might look older than his age and be charismatic—or so he had been told, anyway—but that didn't mean he would find a new job in another city. Without any contacts it wouldn't be easy.

"Well then we're fighting. We have no choice, Sasuke, we need more... helpers."

"Helpers?"

"Well, you don't want me to say minions, so…"

"Not an option, Dei. You know this."

"Well what do you suggest?"

"Anything but that. We'll figure something out. Three people in this apartment is already too much. I'm going crazy here."

As if to prove Sasuke's point, they heard the others arguing for the bathroom loudly.

"How much time do you need to spend looking at yourself in the mirror? Get out of the bathroom!" Suigetsu was shouting. "For fuck's sakes I need to pee okay? Get out or I'll tell Sasuke you're an annoying bastard and we have to kick you out."

"Why would you tell him that?" Kiba shouted back. "You're such a jerk! What if he stops liking me? What would I do without him?"

Sasuke looked at Deidara pointedly. "See what I mean?"

"I do see your point," said Deidara thoughtfully.

"Look, we'll figure something out. Kiba's a good fighter, and I'm not too bad myself. We can teach Suigetsu as well. He seems to like swords, so I'm pretty sure he wouldn't say no."

Deidara sighed. He didn't seem convinced, but still, he said, "I guess that's a start."

…

That night in Central Park, Hinata showed him all her favorite spots. There was so much green and the cool night wind carried the scent of the flowers in the trees. Among others, some cherry blossoms remained and it smelled amazing. The transformation had been painful, as always, but now Naruto felt relaxed. It was good to spend the full moon with someone else, even though that someone was a werewolf, and his mother had always told him to beware of those. But Hinata was cool.

Her wolf form was the size of a husky dog, all shiny black fur, and with silvery gray eyes. She was graceful and she could run very fast. But Naruto could run just as fast. They were having fun, running around in the park at night and hiding from humans. There was something liberating about the full moon. They had to transform—it was out of their control. And sure it was painful at first for the body but then they could just forget about all that and rely on their instincts more.

It was nice because they didn't have to worry about all the social conventions anymore. They didn't have to worry about humans. All those things that people always worry about without really realizing it—being judged by others, getting harassed by some stranger in the street, getting one's bag or wallet stolen, being late to an appointment, or simply the stress and fast-paced city life—all of that was gone. Just gone. They were animals. They were just like big dogs playing together, really. And it felt fun and free.

All in all it would've been a really awesome, carefree night if it hadn't been from that other black wolf showing up and stalking them across the park.

They were all the way up in the North Woods when Naruto saw their stalker, his black fur gleaming in the moonlight that slipped between the tree branches. They had strayed quite far from the path and Naruto wasn't too sure where they were. It wouldn't have mattered that much to be lost but that other wolf was making him nervous and uneasy. It didn't help that Hinata seemed reluctant to go towards him, too.

But she knew him. Naruto could tell. They couldn't really communicate but they could somewhat get a feel for what the other was thinking. Hinata was disappointed right now.

Why disappointed? And it seemed she felt guilty, too. Why would she feel guilty? What was going on? Naruto glanced her way but she wouldn't look back. She put her head down, like she was submitting to the other wolf.

As he approached Naruto recognized him. He recognized his scent, and his eyes. That was Neji, Hinata's older brother. Naruto had met him a few times, but he didn't know him that well. Neji was always very elusive and distant. Naruto had a very developed sense of smell so he recognized it despite the fact that it was different right now, more animalistic of course. But it was still Neji's. And he recognized his eyes, too. They were the same as Hinata's; pale gray irises. But somehow Hinata's eyes looked very soft, whereas Neji's eyes were menacing and scary. Bone-chilling even. Naruto felt cold despite his thick reddish fur.

Neji approached slowly and quietly among the trees, with a fighting stance and a snarl. Why would he want to fight? Naruto was a fox not some dog or wolf. He didn't want to fight him.

Naruto felt scared, and his instincts told him to run. But Neji's wolf-alter ego was much bigger than he was and the smarter part of his brain reckoned he would be outrun anyway and maybe that wasn't his best bet. He wondered what Sasuke would do in this situation. Sasuke wouldn't be scared. He'd act all confident and arrogant.

He'd say something like, _Hello there, Neji. May I ask what the fuck you want? I haven't got all night. _But right now Naruto couldn't talk. And even if he could, he'd probably find Neji way too intimidating to say something like that.

Neji was closing the distance between them. Hinata was definitely feeling guilty, but she lowered her head even more in submission. Naruto didn't like this. What was going on?

Telepathically, Naruto got some kind of message from Neji. It wasn't really words, more like feelings, but it was something along those lines: '_Sorry Naruto, it's nothing personal. We just need you for something, so be a good boy and cooperate…'_

Naruto didn't like this. Instincts became too strong to ignore, and they were pulsing inside him, making his four legs want to spring from the ground and run away as fast as possible. But it was too late. Other dark wolves approached. He became aware of them and fear escaladed quickly within him, paralyzing him. Those big wolves were surrounding him, forming a wall that circled around the two smaller animals. There was no breach.

This was a wolf pack.

Hinata hadn't told him she was part of a pack. Well first of all, she had promised him it would be just the two of them tonight. Otherwise he would've never agreed to it. He rarely ever trusted anyone, but he'd chosen to trust Hinata because he could tell she was a really nice person and she just wanted to be his friend. He supposed he had been wrong… Great, now he would have even worst trust issues.

The leader of the pack took Neji's place and advanced from the circle. He was even bigger than Neji. He was the pack leader. Naruto also got the feeling that he was Hinata's father.

Wait a second. Were they angry because they thought he was dating Hinata, or something? This was ridiculous. They were strictly friends. Why would they come out here and surround him and stare him down so aggressively? He was a fox, damn it, not a wolf. He didn't want to be caught in their drama. Couldn't Hinata's father come to him on _any other night_ and just tell him to stay away from his daughter like a normal person? This was crazy.

Naruto was worrying at the forest ground with his claws, wanting to hide while knowing it wasn't possible now. As he looked at the wolves more carefully he thought he knew which one was Hinata's mother, too. And there was one big bristled wolf that flanked Neji's side—his best friend maybe. There were eleven of them in total, including Hinata.

Her father—the pack leader—gave off a strong vibe that said, _'You can't fight us. So just be a good submissive dog and come with us, and we won't hurt you.'_

Well, what choice did he have? The wolves started heading North-East and Naruto followed them. The leader was right. He couldn't fight. He'd been practicing some fire magic spells at home and he was definitely getting somewhere—he could light candles, that kind of stuff—but he wasn't sure he could do anything that would be strong enough to frighten those wolves away. Actually, he wasn't sure he could do anything at all in fox form. It was difficult enough to concentrate on following them. Those instincts to run were nagging at him, making him restless and unsteady. Animal instincts were pretty simplistic—and kind of stupid sometimes. Basically, he _knew_ it was a bad idea to run, but he still wanted to very badly.

They crossed the woods but before reaching the path, some of the wolves started digging in the ground, in between two fallen tree trunks. They seemed to just be moving branches and leaves out of the way. And then Naruto saw it.

It was small, but there was an opening in the ground, that led to a tunnel. The wolves went through there, and again Naruto had no choice but to go with them. Trotting next to him, Hinata had her ears and her tail down, and she was still averting her gaze.

_Shit. If she feels this guilty about it, then it must be really bad…_

What did they want with a fox anyway? Couldn't they just ask? Or at least tell him what was going on? Give him a freaking hint or something?

Naruto wasn't unfamiliar with using telepathy in fox form. In fact, fox spirits were much better at it than werewolves, usually. Kushina had written about that in her journal. It took a lot of concentration but it was possible. The thoughts had to be really clear, and he had to picture the person they were meant for in front of him, as though he were talking to them face to face. It had to be almost like an out of body experience; he had to picture himself saying the words to the other person. And his mother had written that it should work with most supernatural creatures. And that it could even work at great distances.

Sasuke was a necromancer. So he was supernatural. Feeling utterly terrified and helpless, Naruto figured he should at least give it a try. He had nothing to lose. And what if these people locked him up or something? Then he wouldn't be able to use telepathy for another month, since he could only transform on the full moon, and his mother's journal said that the ability was pretty much limited to the fox form.

He should try. He should really try. It was now or never. And it might work…

The tunnel was damp and dark. Once the wolves had led him far from the opening, it was complete blackness. They kept advancing, Naruto caught in the middle of the pack, behind Hinata, in front of Neji. He kept his head low and his tail down, just like Hinata. He had no choice but to submit.

He pictured Sasuke in his mind. It wasn't difficult. He already did that all the time without having to concentrate. He hoped Sasuke would forgive him for avoiding him and ignoring his phone calls. He just needed a little more time to figure things out. He just wasn't completely sure he was ready for a relationship with another guy. But at the same time, he didn't know if he could be just simple friends with Sasuke. Every time he saw him, the desire to touch him and kiss him and be close to him in every possible way… Well, it was just too strong. So it was kind of confusing.

But he had no choice right now. He had to try to communicate with him. This was beyond silly relationship problems. This could be life or death. And Sasuke was the only supernatural creature that could, hopefully, hear him. With a little luck.

He could see him right now. He didn't even need to close his eyes or anything. Sleek raven hair, pale skin, gracefully tall and athletic, long legs, relaxed attitude like he didn't care about a thing, cynical humor in his eyes, high cheekbones, piercings in his ears… He could see everything, and almost feel him if he thought really hard about it—the softness of his skin, the deepness of his voice, that delicate but deliciously masculine scent of his that Naruto liked so much.

'_Sasuke, I don't know if you can hear this, but I have to try. I'm in trouble. It's those wolves… They're taking me somewhere. I really don't know what they want, but… I have a bad feeling. I'm scared. I… You know what? Never mind.'_

Right. What was he doing? What was he thinking? What could one half-demon boy do against eleven werewolves?

'_Seriously, I don't even want you to come after me. These wolves are dangerous. They could hurt you. And I don't want that… I'm sure it'll be fine. Maybe they just want to talk or something.'_

The tunnel went up in the ground, and it smelled bad and there were rats, and also crawly bugs, and it was gross. It eventually led to a hatch which was already open, and the wolves climbed out of it one after the other. When Naruto got out he realized they were still underground, in a basement. It was all cement, and wide and empty. Completely bland, in fact, except for solid chains installed on the walls. Naruto shuddered. It was humid and cold down here, a coldness even his fur couldn't protect him from. He figured the chains might be for young and uncontrollable werewolves during their first full moons. He didn't want to think that they might be to torture people…

He hadn't noticed before but now he saw that there were some piles of stuff in the corner of the basement; clothes and shoes mostly, and some accessories and jewelry. And cell phones and wallets. This was the pack's hideout—or one of their hideouts anyway. They came here to transform and leave their stuff some place safe. And then they could use that underground passage to get to Central Park. Smart, Naruto supposed. Looking nervously around, he wished that they would've just asked him what they wanted from him instead of capturing him and bringing him to their lair. It made him feel very frightened and vulnerable to be here.

Stupid insensitive wolves.

Then he remembered how he had come up with that stupid plan to get Sasuke to come to his place without even explaining anything first, and he realized he wasn't one to judge.

Something weird happened then. Hinata's parents transformed back into humans. Naruto's mom had once told him that some were-creatures had the ability to change back and forth whenever they wanted, even on a full moon. But still, Naruto was impressed. That took some tremendous control, clearly. Their transformation was pretty quick and it seemed so effortless and painless, too.

_Show offs._

Then they put their clothes on. Well this was awkward. Naruto looked away. Just being polite.

Hinata's mother then collected a little box that had been left on the floor among the piles of clothes. It looked like a first aid kit. She produced a syringe and stepped closer to Naruto. His blood ran cold in his veins and a shudder ran through him. He didn't like needles. Who liked needles, anyway? No one.

The wolves closed in on him and snarled at him threateningly. Just to show him there was no escape, as if he hadn't already gotten the message. Hinata stayed back, looking ashamed and guilty. _'I'm sorry,'_ she seemed to be saying to him. Well, what good was it to say sorry now? Her mother was about to plunge a needle with some unknown liquid through his skin.

_Think about Sasuke. Just think about him. _

The syringe was getting closer. His instincts made him step back in a desperate attempt to dodge it, but the wolves were getting aggressive. Their teeth were almost on him, ready to bite. Their claws ready to tear at him if he tried to get away. Saliva slipped from their mouths as they growled at him.

'_Sasuke I don't know if you can hear me, but it might be bad after all. I really don't think they just want to talk. See, there was this tunnel in Central Park, in North Woods, and they took me to some creepy basement…'_

When Naruto tried to crawl away from the syringe, some of the wolves clawed at him and bit him to keep him into place. One of them even bit his neck, pinning him down to the cold cement floor. He couldn't help but let out a noise that sounded kind of like a pained mewl. Hinata's mother stabbed his back with the needle and a cold liquid was slowly released into his veins, spreading all across his body. And the stuff was pretty fucking strong.

He made one last feeble attempt at getting away—again, instincts. But it was completely and utterly pointless, of course. Soon he stopped feeling the pain from the claws and fangs that tore at his flesh; he couldn't feel anything at all anymore. Black seemed to spread even as he tried to keep his eyes open. His ears buzzed. He couldn't hear the growls anymore. He couldn't hear anything, couldn't see anything, couldn't move at all. And he collapsed, feeling like a prey that had been defeated.

The last thing he felt was a poignant fear. But consciousness was fading.

'_Sasuke I'm so fucking scared. I… need you. But… no matter what, don't get hurt. Just don't… get hurt. If you can hear…'_

…

Right, so he had been getting these really useless, frustrating and freaky telepathic messages from Naruto, and it was driving him insane.

"How am I supposed to help him?"

He paced back and forth in his bedroom, the old wooden floor creaking underfoot, as Deidara sat on his desk next to his laptop, legs crossed, leafing through one of Sasuke's books on writing fiction and screenplays.

"Your characters need to have a backstory. Your characters have a past and a future. No way," Deidara said sarcastically. "How much did you pay for this book?"

Sasuke ignored him. He had a hand pressed to his temple. His head kind of hurt.

"A basement. A basement."

Now Deidara closed the book and tossed it aside on the desk. Instead he looked up and examined a drawing of a tribal fox tattoo design which Sasuke really liked and had taped to his wall.

"This is cute."

"A fucking basement, Deidara. That could be _anywhere_."

"Sasuke calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down." He stopped pacing and pointed a finger at nothing in particular. "I knew that Hinata chick was bad news! I knew it!"

"No," said Deidara, "you didn't. You were just jealous because he was spending time with her, and not with you. And they have loads of things in common."

Sasuke glared. "Shut up. And I have stuff in common with Naruto, too."

"Like what?"

"Like… We… We're both… Very, um… Shut up okay. Can we focus here?"

"We could try a locator spell."

"Come again?"

Deidara shrugged. "Your mother was a witch, wasn't she? You might have some of her powers. That might be partly why you were able to hear Naruto. It's worth a shot."

"I'll try anything." Sasuke was desperate.

"Call your helpers. We can use their energy. It's time you guys start working together, if we're ever going to have a shot at defeating Sasori."

"Let's not talk about that right now. And don't call them my helpers. It's disturbing. It's not like they're my servants or anything. Suigetsu, Kiba," he shouted, "get your asses over here right now."

And immediately, rustling sounds could be heard from the living room and other bedroom as the boys simultaneously stumbled out of bed and threw clothes on, and then they ran up the hallway to try to show up at his door faster than the other, out of breath, their hair ruffled from sleep and their eyes still blinking.

Deidara snorted with laughter. Sasuke ignored him.

"What's wrong?" Suigetsu asked urgently.

"Why are you freaking out?" Kiba added.

Suigetsu pushed Kiba out of the way and stepped in the room. "Can I get you anything? A nice cup of tea?"

"Or coffee?" Kiba asked.

Suigetsu shook his head in disbelief. "Coffee in the middle of the night? How is he supposed to fall asleep, you idiot." He turned to Sasuke again. "You look really tense. Do you want me to run you a bath? Or I could give you a massage." He made to grab Sasuke's shoulders but he was pushed away.

"Stop it. What are you talking about? And I don't even take baths I shower you know that."

"Yeah Suigetsu," Kiba arched a dark eyebrow, "ever read that book He's Just Not That Into You?"

"Dude," Suigetsu replied, waving a finger in the air, "I don't know how long you've been dead, but no one makes that joke anymore, so—"

"Guys," Sasuke snapped, "shut up. I just need your help for a spell, all right?"

They went quiet, looking sheepish.

Then Suigetsu asked timidly, "What kind of spell?"

"A spell to find Naruto. He's in trouble and we need to help him."

Their expressions changed. For some reason they didn't seem to like Naruto very much.

Deidara jumped from the desk and stepped in. Sasuke could tell he was showing himself to everyone right now.

"Boys, you're being ridiculous. Stop being jealous of Naruto. You know Sasuke would do the same for you. Kiba, mate, don't forget that Naruto saved your life once. You owe him for that."

They went quiet once more.

_Nicely done, Deidara._

"So what do I do?" Sasuke asked him.

"You can start by lighting some nice scented candles…"

"Fuck the candles," Sasuke said. "I don't have time for candles."

"Okay, okay," Deidara put up a hand in surrender, "no candles. Let's just all sit together in a circle."

So they did. The room was dim. Only the night table lamp was lit. And the moonlight slipped in softly from the window.

Something occurred to Sasuke, and he looked to the side at the reaper. "Hey, can't we just teleport to him?"

He shook his head. "We don't know where he is, so it wouldn't work."

"But when you were hurt I just thought about Nagato and it worked."

Deidara bit his lip. "Hell is different. It's easier. But in the real world it's more detailed and subtle, it takes more energy, and you have to know exactly where you're going. You _know_ this."

Right. "It's just so frustrating…"

Sitting on Sasuke's other side, Suigetsu crossed his legs. "Can't you tell Sasuke's upset? Can't we hurry up and do this spell thingy?"

"We need to hold hands and think about Naruto. But there's nothing much the three of us can do. Sasuke will be the one to locate him. If you have something of Naruto's, that would probably help."

Sasuke thought of the chain with the pendants hidden under his shirt. "I'm wearing his necklace right now."

Deidara gave a slight nod. "Okay, that should do it. Remember when you heard Naruto's voice. That was telepathy, but wasn't it like you could feel his presence?"

"Yeah," he frowned, "it was like he was right in front of me for a moment. I could hear his voice clearly. But then it was gone."

"Well, you're going to do the same thing to find him. You'll close your eyes if that's easier for you, and you'll pretend he's right in front of you. Witchcraft is often an out of body experience. You have to travel to him if you want to find him. Do you understand?"

"Not really…" God, Deidara really sucked at explaining sometimes.

Still, they all held hands, and kept listening to Deidara's instructions.

"I'll try to help you," Deidara said. "You have to meditate, all right? Calm your thoughts and be detached from your body. Kind of like astral projection. We both know this city so it should be easier. I'll guide you through it. It'll be like when I made you visit a bit of Hell, those first times."

"Good times. That was sarcasm, by the way." In case Deidara couldn't tell.

"Because you were working against me! You were afraid of me."

"Yeah well you were creepy."

"I'm a bloody Reaper I'm supposed to be scary! Leave me alone. Now, concentrate. I might be able to help you, but you're the one who has to find Naruto. You two obviously have some kind of connection, if he was able to reach you using telepathy."

"All right," Sasuke closed his eyes, and squeezed both Deidara's and Suigetsu's hands lightly, "let's do this."

Well, this took some time.

Sasuke had no idea how many minutes passed. To him, it felt like hours. The silence was heavy. He had never meditated before, so he wasn't too sure how to do this. He did rock climbing, not yoga, for Christ's sake. And Deidara wasn't guiding him much so far. He was very aware of the three others, and he was aware of the floor and his bedroom. But somehow he realized he should let go of all that. He should ignore it and just be somewhere else, searching for Naruto.

He thought he felt Deidara pulling at his hand, and then suddenly he saw trees. Woods. It was dark and the moon shone upon the branches, leaves and flowers. The wind was light and smelled of spring and night time. Sasuke wasn't in the forest. Then where was he?

It was like he was floating. Suddenly the thought scared him, and he felt like he was falling. His first reflex was to open his eyes. But then he felt Deidara's presence behind him. And he placed his hand against his eyes.

"Keep your eyes closed," he whispered. "You haven't found him yet, have you? Don't be afraid to fall. Let it happen. Don't be afraid of anything. Nothing can happen to you. Just keep looking."

Deidara was right. He had to keep searching. Naruto wasn't here; he wasn't in those woods, not anymore. Sasuke saw Lenox Avenue. He saw a white arrow sign that read 'One Way' and he saw the trees, and he saw a man in a hoodie taking a nocturnal walk. But this wasn't it. He wasn't far, though… He couldn't be far…

"Keep your eyes shut," Deidara's voice insisted in his ear.

How long had it been? Sasuke felt tired. His head hurt, his heartbeat pulsing in his temples. But he fought to remain in this vision. There was the falling sensation again.

Then nothing but darkness. And it seemed to last a long time. But he fought to remain in the darkness, and keep exploring it, until he could find something, see something, anything…

_Where are you, Naruto?_

He saw a building on 110th Street. Tall—taller than its neighboring buildings—and all beige with columns and an arched doorway. Wrought iron fences in front of it and small trees planted at regular intervals in the paved stone sidewalk. If he could just—

"I've got it," he said, panting, as he came back to reality. His bedroom walls surrounded him again, with his friends with him. He was short of breath, and completely exhausted all of a sudden. His body felt drained and his head throbbed painfully. "I've got an address," he said.

The others were all looking at him weird.

"What is it?" His voice wasn't much more than a whisper.

"Nothing," Suigetsu said carefully, "just… you were out of it for an hour. We were really worried."

_An hour? Fuck. No wonder his body hurt so much. _

"I didn't think it was that long…" He staggered up to his feet but he really wasn't steady. The floor seemed to be tilting under him, threatening to send him sprawling. Deidara held his arm to keep him from falling.

"Maybe you should lie down," Kiba suggested.

But he was shaking his head. "No. No. We need to go right now. They could be hurting him right now."

"Calm down," Deidara said, "if you were able to locate him, that means he's still alive. You should write down the address, in case you forget. Doing witchcraft for the first time could make your mind very fragile."

_Why does he always mention those things after?_

"I won't," Sasuke said weakly, but stubbornly, "I won't forget… We need to…"

But then he saw black. And it engulfed him.

…

_Author's Note: Special thanks to my reviewers. Special acknowledgments to xRememberxMe for suggesting an extra scene with Hinata and also to Guest for coming up with the term 'helpers' and for pointing out one of my mistakes. You guys are great. Thanks for encouraging me. Hugs. _


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

_It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend._

At the crack of dawn, Naruto was yanked awake by the transformation. He was still in that basement, and it was still really dark, but he knew the sun was coming up outside because his body was changing forcefully, whether he liked it or not. His bones snapped back into place and it hurt so much that he couldn't breathe properly. The fur disappeared completely, making him feel vulnerable and exposed, and cold. His eyes were dry and they burned so he couldn't keep them open for too long at first.

They had restrained him in those chains, tied up to the wall. The chains were rusty and bloody and gross, and they were tightly secured around his waist, neck, arms and legs. He realized with a start that the chains were bloody because of him. That was _his_ blood. Those wolves hadn't gone easy on him with their claws and fangs. His neck hurt so badly. He was starting to feel the pain again and it made him suffocate. He almost threw up but he had nothing in his stomach. Yeah, that bite in his neck had been pretty deep, he could tell without even seeing it. Every time he swallowed the pain was excruciating as the chain irritated the raw and broken skin.

He tried to assess the damage on the rest of his body even though he couldn't see too well in the dark with his human eyes. He had been bit pretty roughly on his side, too, and arms and legs. The wounds were still bleeding, too; the transformation had reopened them. He couldn't help but moan as he tried to sit up against the cement wall. Everything hurt. And movements were difficult because of the after effects of that sedative. His muscles wouldn't obey—or they would, but it took them forever to do so.

At last he managed to sit in a rattling of chains. He looked up as he heard footsteps coming towards him. And he saw Neji. He looked all nice and clean and a long white lab coat covered his clothes. His black hair was combed back. There seemed to be something in his coat pocket, but Naruto couldn't see what it was.

"What do you want?" Naruto said. His voice sounded weak and broken. His throat felt like sandpaper and that bite hurt so much that for a moment the basement started spinning and he was sure he would pass out again. He tried to fold his legs in a way that would hide some of his nakedness.

"It's simple, really." Neji started explaining. "My parents want to do a bit of an experiment. Well, it sounds harsh when I say it like that, but… All we ask for is your cooperation."

"Cooperation for what?" Naruto said tiredly. His head still felt groggy and painful.

Neji sighed shortly. "At first my parents thought it would be very simple. Surely you would date my sister and one thing leading to another…" He waved with a hand as he stepped forward. "But, we quickly realized that wasn't going to happen, because you have some other… preferences."

"So wait a second. Your parents are angry because I'm _not_ dating Hinata?"

"Well, I wouldn't say angry. More… annoyed. They did want you to date her. Mostly they wanted you to make her pregnant," he explained matter-of-factly.

_What the fuck?_

"What? We're seventeen. That's crazy."

Neji looked away. "I don't necessarily agree with this. I'm just doing what my father—what my pack leader wants me to do. Still, I can explain. Clearly you don't know anything. It is common for werewolves to start having children very young. Almost one child out of two will not survive their first transformation. So if we want to maintain our bloodlines, we don't have a choice."

"But why me?" Naruto asked nervously. "I'm not even a werewolf."

"Well precisely. Werefoxes are very rare."

"Fox spirits," Naruto muttered.

Neji ignored him. "Your kind has very particular abilities. My parents are interested in those abilities, and they want Hinata to give birth to a hybrid."

As Neji stepped closer, Naruto tried to crawl away in a rattling of chains, even though it was pointless and he was caught against the cement wall.

"Okay, that is fucked up on so many levels."

And now Neji was taking out medical gloves and an empty plastic cup from his pocket.

"Oh, no, no way. You've got to be kidding me."

"Oh please," Neji replied, "don't look so shocked. I don't like this anymore than you do. I'm just doing what needs to be done. It's all right. I'm in med school. I'll do that sort of thing all the time for work."

"I'm pretty sure doctors don't do that sort of thing."

Neji frowned. "I meant a prostate check. What did you mean? Oh God, you really are disgusting. I would never—"

"I'm disgusting? _I'm_ disgusting? Look at yourself. Look at what you're about to do."

"Not my finest moment," Neji amended, "I'll admit. And I assure you it wasn't my idea. I don't relish having a little nephew or niece that might have your… genes. But," he sighed, "this is what my parents want. So honestly, let's just get it over with, and then you'll be free to go."

Naruto stared at him. "They're using their own daughter for experiment? That's horrible." Stalling for time was his only option right now.

"That's none of your business."

"Well I'm sorry but I think it's my business if this is gonna be my kid. I'll be the father. That's no way to treat me, surely…"

Neji took a step back and studied him. "So you're saying you'll do it willingly?"

"No, I'm not saying that. I mean," he cleared his throat, and winced at the pain, but went on anyway, "I mean, maybe." Stalling for time. Stalling for time. "You didn't exactly give me and Hinata much time to get to know each other. I actually really liked her. You should just—"

"Liar," said Neji harshly, making Naruto start. "You don't like my sister. I've seen you with that demon. Sasuke. He's dangerous. We've been watching your every move. Why do you think we decided this is our only option?"

"He's not a demon," Naruto said defensively, then caught himself. "I mean, yeah, he's half-demon, I guess. And we're just friends, by the way. I don't even like him that much, you know. We're more like acquaintances, really. I'm sure I could really hit it off with your sister, if you just give me a chance. Wouldn't that be a better way? I'm just in a weird place in my life right now—not the best time for a relationship—but if you just…"

"We know all about that, Naruto. Why do you think we're doing this right now? We can't wait. We know you're hanging out with the wrong crowd. Honestly, the way you're going, I would be surprised if you live to see another full moon."

"Well I wouldn't exactly call Sasuke the 'wrong crowd' I mean I don't see _him_ attacking me and drugging me and putting me in chains and—"

"Whatever. You're a really terrible liar, by the way." Neji was putting on the medical gloves. That wasn't good.

Naruto swallowed, and it tasted like blood. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"All that stuff about not liking Sasuke. I'm pretty good at reading people. I know how you feel about him. You think I didn't hear your pathetic little mental plea to him earlier? _'Sasuke I need you, but please don't get hurt…'_ That was cute."

Naruto's face flushed in pure humiliation, so much that it was almost physically painful. How embarrassing. How fucking completely humiliating. So much for stalling for time.

"Let's get this over with," Neji said, in a tone that wouldn't be argued with.

…

But Neji never got to practice his 'prostate check' skills.

A metallic door got unlocked and opened in the opposite corner of the basement, and Naruto narrowed his eyes, trying to see who that was. The person approached with quick, light steps as Neji was frozen in his actions. Naruto felt a wave of relief as he saw the black clothed lithe frame and long blonde hair.

Well, he highly doubted anyone had ever been so happy to see a reaper before.

And it wasn't Sasuke, sure, but that didn't matter. Actually, it was better this way. He wouldn't want Sasuke to see him like this; in such a helpless, humiliating, vulnerable state. He was embarrassed enough as it was.

"Get me out of here," Naruto said before he could stop himself. He rattled the chains in his weak attempts to crawl away from Neji.

Deidara stepped closer, coming out of the shadows completely. His hood was on, smooth blond hair coming out of it on both sides, pale blue eyes gleaming in its shadow.

"Sure thing, little fox." Always with that exaggerated British accent.

"Who is this?" Neji asked angrily. He faced Deidara with a fighting stance, but that only made the reaper laugh.

"I'm a dark angel, and your worst nightmare." Deidara did a little curtsey. "Sasuke sends his best regards. He couldn't come himself, you see, but I owe him a favor so here I am. Plus I can be invisible, which makes it a tad more practical to sneak in some fancy building and steal the keys to the top secret werewolf pack basement." He winked at Neji.

"You think I'm afraid of you?" Neji said dismissively. He reached for something in his coat's inside pocket. From his angle Naruto couldn't see.

"Oh, you should be," Deidara replied casually, "since Sasuke gave me the permission to kill anyone who hurt the little fox. And," Deidara glanced at Naruto, "he looks hurt. So, any last words, werewolf?"

"What are you talking about? You think you can kill me?" Neji took out a gun. Naruto flinched even though it wasn't aimed at him.

Deidara didn't even react. He examined his black nails.

"Course I can. This is my job, mate."

Neji shot. But his hands were trembling, and he missed. Besides, Deidara moved so fast that the bullet might have never hit him anyway. Before Neji could catch his breath, Deidara was behind him, one arm around his neck. Neji immediately looked paralyzed with fear.

"I had a dagger," Deidara said, "but I think Sasuke's strange roommate stole it. Anyway, I can still kill you. What would you prefer? Heart attack? Suffocation? Aneurism? I can do pretty much any death. Though I charge extra for opiates overdose."

"Stop it, Deidara," said Naruto suddenly, sitting up in a crouch and pulling at his chains. "Don't kill him. Let's just go."

Deidara dropped Neji, who fell to his knees.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Naruto said tiredly.

Neji was an asshole, but he was terrified and humiliated right now, and that was good enough for Naruto.

Deidara nodded and bent over to search Neji's coat. He found the keys for the chains and came to untie Naruto.

"Hey," Neji said in a defeated voice as he looked up at them, "I'm sorry. About everything. You're not who I thought you were, Reed. I was sure you would let him kill me. But you didn't. Maybe you should've."

"Well you clearly feel like an ass right now," Naruto said, "which is good. Because you are one. I hope I never see you again. Tell Hinata I'm sorry she has such a shitty family."

"We're teleporting," Deidara said simply as he helped him up.

"Wait…"

"Relax, foxy. I know you don't want Sasuke to see you like this. I'm not an idiot. But you do need to see him. If you two spend one more day apart, you'll both go mad. We'll just make a little stop to my crypt before heading to Sasuke's apartment. Trust me," he said and the world seemed to blur around them, the darkness becoming even thicker.

Naruto felt himself becoming very light, and he got really dizzy for a moment. Then his feet found the floor again, which seemed to be polished black stone. Equally dark walls surrounded them, and the ceiling held several vibrant red candles, all lit. The effect was actually really nice, in a freaky gothic way. Naruto glanced around.

He saw black roses in vases and steampunk style paintings on the walls, including a really freaky robot spider. Swords of all sizes and colors ran across one of the walls and there was a cage in the corner with what looked like a pet raven in it. Cozy black and white blankets were stacked in a corner, and Naruto wondered if that was where Deidara slept. On a desk were some accessories, makeup and hair styling products—which kind of clashed with the rest of the décor.

"You should feel lucky," Deidara said, slapping his shoulder and making him wince in pain, "I don't take just anyone here. But yeah this is my humble abode." Deidara went to some shelves lining the smooth black walls and selected a small glass bottle full of a blackish liquid. It was stored in between expensive bottles of tequila and rum. He handed it to Naruto. "Here, drink this."

Suspicious, Naruto opened it and sniffed its contents. It smelled disgusting, like a skunk had sprayed in it.

"You expect me to drink this?"

Deidara rolled his eyes. "It'll make you all better. Just ignore the smell."

"Easy for you to say," Naruto said but he did as he was told. He couldn't drink the whole thing, but he downed at least half, and then gave it back to Deidara.

The taste was absolutely revolting and it made him want to hurl, but he held it back and forced himself to breathe and keep it down. It was worth it, because immediately he started feeling the effects. Instead of hurting, his wounds started feeling tingly and a little itchy; they were starting to heal.

"This is amazing," he said, looking down at the claw marks and bites on his arms that were slowly mending.

"Told you," Deidara shrugged. "Now come with me."

They went through an arched passage in the black stone and stepped in an adjacent room. Naruto thought he could hear the soothing sound of a waterfall in the distance. But right now Deidara wanted him to choose some clothes. They were folded in piles; black shirts, black pants, black shoes.

"Do you own anything that's not black?"

"No, not really. Here, let me choose for you. I haven't got all day."

Deidara threw a thin long sleeve shirt at him with tight looking pants and some combat boots. Naruto wasn't used to wearing outfits like this one but he didn't want to show up naked at Sasuke's place so he wasn't about to complain.

"Hey, wait, don't put them on yet." Deidara stopped him. "You're all dirty."

"Well I just assumed you didn't have a shower…"

Deidara smiled. "No, but I have something better. Follow me."

They went through another passage and the sound of the waterfall became louder. The stone was becoming damp as they walked quietly, Deidara showing him the way. They arrived to a nice, calm stream of water that went on in the darkness, beyond where Naruto's eyes could see. The waterfall trickled down from an opening in the ground above. There was only one thing reminding Naruto of where he was. The sunlight should have been shining, but instead the strange unlit dark sky stared at him as he looked up. The water seemed so nice, though. And it was warm, too, he realized as he inched his toes in.

He tossed Deidara's clothes aside and walked in the water. He swam all the way to the waterfall and closed his eyes. It felt purifying and cleansing.

"Thank you," he heard himself say to Deidara. "This is great."

"I thought you might like it," the reaper said simply as he stood on the shore. "Take your time. Well, don't take too long, or Sasuke will have a panic attack."

Right. He had almost forgotten about Sasuke for a moment there. He had almost forgotten about everything, actually. That stuff Deidara had made him drink was pretty strong. It healed his wounds but it made him feel more relaxed, too. And that water was just so nice and warm. But he wasn't supposed to be here.

He was supposed to be in school right now. Though he often missed on days following the full moon, and Itachi didn't mind. Transforming into an animal and then back to a human being seemed a good enough excuse to be too tired for class. But still. Instead of being in school he was hanging out with a Dark Angel in Hell. Naruto wasn't sure Itachi would like the idea very much.

…

They eventually got to Sasuke's place. And they explained everything. Well Naruto explained everything, even though he was tired. Deidara left, deciding it was clearly better to leave them alone.

Naruto liked Sasuke's bedroom. He found it endearing and quirky that he had so many plants. Five of them actually. Naruto really liked the one that rested on top of the dresser. The leaves were big and dark green and there was a really pretty white flower blooming in the middle. It was cool that Sasuke put up quotes on his wall to decorate, too. Naruto read one that said: _'The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.'_

And he liked that fox tribal tattoo design, too. He wondered if that was something Sasuke actually considered getting done, or if he had just put it on his wall because he liked it. But now didn't seem the right time to ask about random things like that. Sasuke looked angry. He was even angrier than Naruto about this.

"How can you be so calm right now?" Sasuke raged. His dark brown eyes had a menacing glint in them. Naruto was starting to feel a little uneasy.

Outside the sky was clouded, and very little light slipped through the gray curtains. Naruto leaned against the wall as Sasuke closed in on him, pointing an accusing finger.

"You shouldn't have trusted her!"

Naruto couldn't really be angry at Sasuke, because he looked really tired and worn out, and he could tell he had been really worried the whole night. Also, he knew Sasuke had been the one to find him using some kind of magic. Deidara had told him how Sasuke had passed out after that, waking up momentarily so he could tell him the address, and then collapsing again. He had been yanked awake when Deidara and Naruto had showed up in his room in a cloud of fading black smoke earlier. Sasuke wore only black jeans and Naruto's necklace around his neck. His dark hair was a bit messy and ruffled from sleep. Naruto couldn't help but admire the way his pale skin clashed with the darkness of his hair. He couldn't help but crave his touch and the comfort of his arms.

And as always he felt stupid for avoiding him. When they were apart the thought of Sasuke made him really nervous, but when they were together he was reminded how good it felt, and everything else just seemed silly and unimportant.

But still, right now, Sasuke was being annoying. Naruto resented the accusing tone.

"Come on. How was I supposed to know that her family was crazy? So, what, I was supposed to just guess that they wanted me to make her pregnant with some experimental hybrid baby?"

Sasuke didn't answer that. He stepped closer and grabbed the hem of his shirt.

"Take it off," he said, tugging at the black fabric.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Take it off. I want to see what they did to you."

"What's the point? We told you earlier. Deidara gave me some weird medicine thingy and it's almost healed already. It's no big deal."

Sasuke was stubborn. "I want to see."

So Naruto gave up. "You know what? Fine. I'll take it off." He took his shirt off, wincing at the pain—almost healed wasn't quite accurate; truthfully the scratches and bruises still hurt a bit, but at least nothing was infected or bleeding—and then he took off his pants, too. "I'll take everything off, if that's what you want."

He tossed everything to the floor and he stood, completely naked, facing Sasuke. His heart started beating really fast as he realized what he'd just done. They were standing really close, too. Naruto held his own arm, feeling awkward all of a sudden. He cleared his throat.

"See? It's not that bad."

But Sasuke looked troubled. "Not that bad?" His voice was weirdly emotional. Naruto was shocked when he saw that tears threatened to fall from the corners of his eyes.

"H-Hey don't freak out…"

Sasuke ignored that. "They _bit_ you," he said in a low voice as he reached up with his fingers to touch Naruto's neck, "they hurt you, and you called for me but I didn't come."

"None of this is your fault," Naruto said firmly.

Sasuke looked really shaky and distressed. Naruto couldn't help it; he put his arms around him and held him close. And he closed his eyes as he breathed in Sasuke's scent, soft dark hair tickling his neck. Sasuke wasn't crying, but he wasn't far from it.

"I should be the one comforting _you_," he whispered against Naruto's shoulder. "I just can't stop thinking about… what that guy… was about to do…"

"Neji. Yeah, he's an asshole. But he was following orders from his pack leader, who also happens to be his father…"

"Don't give him excuses."

Naruto laughed weakly. "You're right. Heh. The fuck am I saying?" He had one hand in Sasuke's hair, and the other around his waist. Sasuke held him back tightly as well. It felt nice…

"I wish Deidara had killed him."

"I'm the one who told him not to."

"He should've killed him anyway. And then I would've followed him to Hell to personally kill him again. He can hang out in purgatory with my asshole of a father for all I care."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Sasuke wasn't making much sense. Anyway.

"Forget about it. It wasn't even his idea. Wasn't Hinata's fault either, I could tell. It was their parents. They're completely insane. They wanted to try and have a half-fox, half-wolf grandkid. I don't know what they would've called him, or her. Werewox? I don't know."

That made Sasuke laugh. Naruto felt the vibration in his chest, and he smiled.

"Werewox," Naruto said. "That makes you laugh? I'll say it again if it makes you laugh. Werewox."

Sasuke pulled away from him slowly, still laughing. He wiped under his eyes. Naruto was still holding his waist, and they were still really close. He could tell that Sasuke was tired; he had dark circles under his eyes. But he was still beautiful. Naruto looked at his lips and before they knew it they were kissing. Soft at first, then hard and deep. Sasuke held him and kissed him like he needed him more than water or air.

When they broke apart for a short moment Sasuke said, "You're naked."

"And you are excellent at stating the obvious."

Sasuke let his hands run down Naruto's sides, all the way to his hip bones. He looked up at him under long black eyelashes. Those dark brown eyes… A glint in them. Like fire.

"You don't mind?"

"Not… not really." He swallowed. "Not with you. Earlier, I was… really scared, I guess. With anyone but you it's scary. Even though I don't want you to kill him, I can still acknowledge that Neji's a jerk for what he—for what he almost did. That's just… not okay."

"Not okay? Not okay? Naruto… that's a euphemism."

"What's that?"

Sasuke just stared. "Go to class more often, Naruto."

"Jerk. Don't ruin the mood."

He tried to pull away playfully but Sasuke held him close, and kissed him again, crashing their lips together, bruising them, darkening them, and it didn't matter. They just couldn't stop. Naruto threw his arms up around Sasuke's neck.

At some point Sasuke pressed his leg between Naruto's thighs. So he threw his head back and moaned. Sasuke used this opportunity to kiss his neck.

"I love the sounds you make," Sasuke whispered in his ear, before kissing the skin under it again. He tangled his fingers in Naruto's hair, too. It sent shivers all across his body.

"It… tickles," said Naruto. But that wasn't exactly the right word. And he couldn't help but moan again.

Sasuke smiled. "You're so sensitive." His hand travelled down Naruto's flat abs slowly. "I kiss your neck and you get hard… I fucking love it."

But then Naruto pushed him away softly. He needed to catch his breath. He needed to… he didn't know what he needed to do. But he was just so afraid of losing control. At the same time Sasuke made him _want_ to lose control.

He closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry. Can we just… slow down?"

"Yeah," Sasuke said softly, "that's okay. Don't apologize. You never have to apologize with me. Just be honest. Let's just… sit down."

They went to sit down on the bed together. Naruto felt self-conscious, but he tried to ignore those thoughts. He let his fingers trail across the soft fabric of the duvet.

"Naruto… why does this keep happening to you? To us? We keep… getting hurt." Sasuke's voice was merely a whisper. He seemed thoughtful. But it sounded like he was in pain at the same time.

"I don't know."

"Like the wolves," Sasuke went on, "why would they do this to you? Why now?"

Without looking at him, Naruto took Sasuke's hand and laced their fingers, squeezing reassuringly. He just wanted to show him that he would never blame him.

But he told the truth. "Neji said that they felt they needed to hurry, because they knew I was hanging out with the wrong crowd—their words, not mine—and they weren't sure my life span was very… promising. So they wanted to hurry and get my… you know. Before it was too late. For the werewox." Naruto paused, looked up and saw Sasuke's lips twitching into a smile. "Why does that make you laugh so much? I only said it again to see if it would still make you laugh. Seriously though, Sasuke. Are you okay?"

"I'm just tired, I guess. I shouldn't laugh, though. They hurt you, and I hate them, and that's final."

"I guess. I feel bad for Hinata though. Her parents are horrible. And her brother. But whatever. Let's not talk about it anymore. I'm tired, too."

"So we should just sleep."

"We should," Naruto agreed.

But then their eyes met, and they were all over each other again, kissing, holding on to each other, crashing their lips together, and falling on the bed. They rolled over together, and eventually Sasuke was getting rid of his pants. Naruto helped him, and then they kissed again, Sasuke rolling him over and pinning him to the bed. Their fingers touched and intertwined. The necklace fell from his neck and the feather pendant touched Naruto's chest as Sasuke leaned closer.

They kissed for a long time. Sasuke's skin was warm and his lips were bruised. Naruto reached up Sasuke's arms to press his hands to his back, feeling the lean muscles there and then feeling the curve of his spine and lower back. He wanted so desperately to feel all of him.

"You're beautiful," he said to Sasuke.

"So are you."

Between two kisses, he whispered, "I'm sorry I avoided you. I wasn't ready, and I guess I felt shy, and nervous, and… I'm sorry."

Sasuke stopped. He looked annoyed, but his eyes were soft. His bangs were getting too long, Naruto noticed. Dark strands of hair kept falling in Sasuke's eyes, and Naruto wanted to reach up and brush them away.

"Don't apologize," Sasuke said. "Being shy, or having been hurt, aren't things you need to feel sorry for. You are who you are and you are enough. That doesn't mean you can't work on improving yourself." He frowned, and it seemed he was searching for the right words. "It just means that you can't live your life waiting for some magical point in the future where you'll be good enough. Your life is now. You're good enough now. If anybody thinks otherwise, they are assholes, and not worth your time."

"Was that one of your quotes?" Naruto asked, locking his arms around Sasuke's waist in an attempt to pull him closer.

Sasuke just shook his head. "No. Just something I wanted to say to you."

"Thank you…"

"Don't thank me."

"I'm not allowed to thank you. I'm not allowed to say sorry to you." Naruto brushed their noses together teasingly. "What am I allowed to do?"

"We can… We can do more of this," he breathed, "if you want to."

"More of what?" He teased.

Sasuke bit his darkened lip for a moment, moving back on the bed. Naruto's heart was beating so fast. So loud. He felt like Sasuke could probably hear it.

"I want to make you feel good." Sasuke grabbed Naruto's cock in a warm hand and licked the tip at the same time. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time."

"Oh my God…" Naruto arched his back and moaned loudly. Sasuke was licking the tip again. Then he took half the length in his mouth and started to give him the first blowjob of his life. He moved his hand at the same time. Then gradually he took all of it in his mouth…

"Shit," Naruto hissed, breathing loudly. He closed his eyes then opened them again because he wanted to see Sasuke. This was amazing. He could see Sasuke's hips, his butt. He was so fucking sexy. In every possible way. Naruto wanted to touch him more. But as he reached out to him Sasuke did something with his tongue—flicking the tip more intensely or something. And Naruto fell back on the bed, moaning louder. He didn't have much to compare with, nothing at all in fact but…

"You're so good at this," he said. He stroked Sasuke's hair, then touched his arm. Their hands found each other against the mattress. "Fuck… I'm gonna come."

Sasuke stroked him with his hand for a moment as he looked up and smiled. "I want you to come. I want you to feel good," he said. Sasuke's smile was the sexiest smile of all times, ever. In Naruto's honest opinion, anyway.

Holding himself on the bed with one hand, and holding Naruto's hand with the other, Sasuke went down on him again, and he was so intense.

"You're amazing," said Naruto. He arched his back. "I'm gonna come…"

He couldn't help it. And Sasuke wasn't stopping… This was so hot. Sasuke was so… fuck. He came and Sasuke still licked him. He actually swallowed it. Naruto felt all flustered and still so turned on. If he hadn't just come, he would get hard all over again.

Sasuke looked at him with that sexy smirk again and his hair was all messy. The necklace's pendant was on the wrong side of his neck. He was so fucking cute. Naruto wanted to hold him so badly.

"Come here," he breathed, and he didn't care that his voice sounded desperate and weak. He felt too good right now. He had forgotten all about the craziness. All about the pain. There was only pleasure. And some kind of tingly warmth as Sasuke fell in his arms and cuddled against him. Naruto held him tight. He didn't want to let go.

But he felt something poking the side of his thigh.

"Your turn," Naruto said. Even though he felt nervous because it would be his first time doing that and he was pretty sure he wouldn't be very good at it…

Sasuke stopped him though. He pinned him down on the bed.

"No."

"But—"

"Not tonight," Sasuke said. "You need to sleep. You need to heal."

"But it's not fair though…"

Sasuke shook his head softly. "What are you talking about? I had fun. We had fun. You don't owe me anything, Naruto. Okay? If you want to make me happy, sleep. Get better. You look fucking exhausted."

"You're awesome."

Sasuke replied, "I know."

That made Naruto laugh. Softly. Tiredly. He was indeed really sleepy. He couldn't even keep his eyes open anymore. They kissed one last time.

…

As strange as it sounded, training in Hell felt very calming. It was just so quiet. No cars, no buildings, no people, no animals, nothing. Deidara had brought him to the place called 'White River Valley.' The ground and the rocks were so white that the river running across the land appeared white as well.

They were sparring. Sasuke with his obsidian sword and Deidara with a new long silver sword, pure white at the hilt with an embedded diamond-like gem. A gift from Nagato

"With this I can kill Temari," Deidara had said, "and free all her victims."

"Good," Sasuke replied.

Their boots stomped the rocky white ground as they sparred in a clashing of metallic blades. Sasuke tried to remain focused. There were only three nights left before the fight. He wasn't entirely sure being good with a blade would make a difference, but he had to do something—anything. And he couldn't sleep at night anyway.

He kept thinking about Naruto. Their night—or rather morning—spent together after the werewolf incident. The bed had felt much warmer, and safer. Sasuke had wanted to sleep forever in Naruto's arms after that. But waking up to reality was always harsh. And he'd had to tell him about the fight. Naruto had freaked out, and it pretty much ruined the mood. But Sasuke couldn't blame him. He would freak out, too, if he didn't have this physical outlet. He was already starting to enjoy sparring even more than rock climbing.

Deidara broke through his defenses and scraped his side.

"Stop being so distracted, Sasuke. I know who you're thinking about," said Deidara in a singsong voice.

Sasuke was holding his side. Blood slid between his fingers, and dripped onto the gravel, staining the white.

Deidara sheathed his blade and came towards him, sighing. A soft cool wind blew in their hair and rustled their dark clothes. In the distance they could glimpse mountains and forests, but not much more, and it all appeared so far away and wrapped in fog. The valley seemed so vast and empty.

"I'm going to teach you to bend reality." Deidara looked in his eyes.

"Bend reality?"

"Precisely. You're going to heal your wound. Well, not so much heal, but make it so it never happened."

Sasuke stared, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. "So I should ignore the pain, then?"

"No," Deidara shook his head, "feel the pain. Feel _beyond_ the pain."

"I'm not following."

Deidara smiled, tucking his hair behind his ear. "It's amazing, you'll see. It's like an optical illusion. If you look carefully enough, you can see what's really behind it. In Hell you can bend reality; it takes practice, sure. And not all of us are good at it. But some of us are so good at it, in fact, that they can almost use it as their only weapon."

Sasuke was still confused.

"It's difficult to explain to a beginner." Deidara took Sasuke's hand and pulled it away from his injury. "It helps if you close your eyes," he added.

So he closed his eyes. He felt the wind, he felt Deidara's presence, and he felt the rocks under his boots, but mostly he was aware of the pain where Deidara's sword had sliced his skin. It was raw and burning. He felt it until there was nothing else. Just the pain. His body started to shake all over.

It was almost too much. For a moment his entire body felt like it was burning, like a wave of heated air was hitting him and spreading, and consuming him, but then it was gone. The wind was refreshing against his skin and the burning sensation was replaced with a tingle that actually felt rather nice. He felt energized and new.

And he opened his eyes.

Deidara was smiling.

Touching his side, Sasuke looked down and saw the blood, but no injury. The skin was repaired.

"Shit."

"I know," said Deidara.

"That's amazing." He looked up.

Deidara just nodded. "It's nice teaching you, Sasuke. You pick up on things rather quickly."

"Yeah?"

"It takes months to some of us demons before we can use our blades properly, or bend reality like that."

"I'm usually a quick learner," said Sasuke, sheathing his sword in the leather straps on his back. They were probably done for now. He should probably try to get some sleep, anyway. It was most likely 2 or 3 am in the real world now.

Deidara seemed thoughtful, his pale blue eyes studying him.

"That can't be it. I think your father's powers have a role in this. They're making you stronger every time you come here, I can feel it. Can you?" He tilted his head. "Does it frighten you?"

"I wouldn't say that. But I definitely feel some kind of energy. It's like…" Sasuke hesitated, looking up as two black birds flew across the sky. He wondered how he was even able to see them. Black against black. But he saw them.

"It's like time slows down, sometimes. And I can fight. I mean, I can anticipate my opponent's next moves, so it's easier."

Deidara had a strange smile on his lips. "That's another power Malachy was famous for. A variation of bending reality. Time doesn't slow down. _You_ become faster."

Sasuke frowned. For once Deidara seemed in the mood to talk about his father, so might as well…

"Why was he so famous, anyway? Why does everyone know about him?"

Deidara spread his arms. "He was powerful. Liked to stir trouble. Had the worst reputation."

Sasuke almost didn't want to ask, but… "Do I look like him?"

"I wouldn't know. I ain't never met him. Just heard of him is all." Deidara winked. "Don't worry. I'm sure you're prettier."

"Don't bother flirting, Naruto and I are official now," he said teasingly.

"I'm happy for you. And Sasuke, you and your father are very different, despite everything I've told you tonight. You're not like him. And that's a good thing."

"Really?"

"I'm starting to know you more, and I don't think you'd be the kind of person to possess an innocent man and rape his wife."

Harsh words. But Sasuke could handle it, and Deidara knew that.

"Why'd he do it?"

"Who knows?" He sighed. "It's a very rare ability. I heard he was frustrated and wanted to become a Higher Demon, but he was still just a Dark Angel. Maybe it was his way to prove he could do something only an HD should be able to. Oh, and he had pissed off a loads of people. Loads. Especially when he killed Louis. Everybody was after him. So by using possession he was hiding from them, I suppose. Well, anyway, he went too far. And now he'll never get to know you. His loss."

"I don't really care."

"You shouldn't."

Sasuke nodded, glancing away. "Well I should go. I should at least try to get some sleep."

"Tomorrow night bring Suigetsu and Kiba. It's time they start training with us, see this place, get a feel for it. We'll give Suigetsu his own sword so he'll stop stealing ours."

"He'll be ecstatic."

"I'm sure."

...


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

_A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world. _

The flame wasn't very big. Naruto sighed as he leaned back in his seat, frustration making him uneasy and on edge. The candle was lit but he wasn't satisfied. Oh, he had lit it using fire magic, which he was pretty sure most people would find impressive. But every time he managed to do so he felt like something was off. He was tired and he shouldn't be. Somehow he knew he shouldn't be so drained. He grabbed his coffee mug—that was perhaps his sixth coffee today—and took a few sips of the beverage. It was cold now but he barely even noticed.

A sweet hazelnut scent spread in the room. Not the coffee, he hadn't put anything in it. The smell came from the candle, and it was comforting. That had been one of his mother's favorite scented candles. He sighed again, and blew to kill the flame. Closing his eyes for a moment as the room was shrouded in darkness once more, he wondered if this was his limit. He had a pretty bad headache, and he couldn't think clearly.

He had done this about twenty times now. Lighting the candle with magic. His mother had written that the second step was to do it faster, in less than a second, without even having to think about it too much. Well, Naruto hadn't quite reached that second step just yet. It took him a good five minutes of intense concentration every time. He had to feel that warmth, that tingle. That sort of glow that seemed to envelope him and protect him. He couldn't really understand it. And unfortunately he couldn't say he was getting any closer to controlling it.

Naruto pressed his hand to his temple, then raked shaky fingers through tangled blonde hair. Every time he lit that candle, it felt good for a brief moment, even though he was exhausted. But it felt odd. Like an athlete that got tired way too fast all of a sudden. As though he went to the sports center to swim laps and got tired after only fifteen of them, or something ridiculous like that.

His eyes snapped open when the door creaked and the lights were flicked on. Itachi poked his head in. He looked tired, too. But a normal person kind of tired, like he'd been in front of his computer too much.

"Everything okay in here?" He made a face at the mess; the piles of clothes on the bed and chair, the tissues and other trash that hadn't quite made it to the paper basket, the food leftovers on the desk.

"Everything's fine, Itachi."

"Is that tomato sauce?" He pointed at the bowl. "You should really put that in water, at least, if you're not going to wash it…"

"Itachi you're not supposed to come in here," Naruto reminded him.

"Right, sorry. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I keep hearing you… sighing really loudly."

Naruto hated lying to him. "It's nothing. Just homework."

"You were doing homework in the dark?"

"It's for English class. I was just trying to get inspired."

"Right…"

He had no choice but to lie.

"Good night, Itachi."

"Night."

He couldn't exactly tell Itachi that the next night he would go to another dimension—which happened to be Hell—with Sasuke to help him in some crazy Reaper territory fight. Sasuke didn't want him to come at first. But Naruto had said that if he didn't let him come, he would hate him forever. And forever, they now knew, could be a very long time. Still, Sasuke hesitated. So Naruto used a different argument: if the situation was reversed, what would Sasuke do? Would he let Naruto go alone to fight Sasori and Temari? They both knew he wouldn't. So that shut him up.

The next night. A Tuesday. Could be just any normal April night. Naruto glanced out his window. Couldn't see much from here except buildings. He wasn't sure what he expected to see, anyway. Everything just looked completely normal. The sky was actually really clear and nice. He could see the quarter of the moon. No sign that this could be his last night on Earth. Except the fear in his heart, making him cold.

Well, if it was his last night, then he didn't want to spend it alone. His phone was in his hand before he even realized it. He balanced his chair on its back legs, texting. Yeah he could do that without holding the desk; he had a lot of practice at school.

'_Can I come over?'_

Send. There.

There.

He felt so nervous all of a sudden that the chair fell backwards and he hurt his head.

"Fuck," he hissed, massaging the back of his head. Somehow he was still holding the phone. He staggered to his feet and leaned against the bed, trying to locate his jacket in the mess. Sasuke wouldn't say no. Come on. He wouldn't.

Unless that text sounded too desperate? Naruto plucked at his bottom lip nervously. Then stopped. Sasuke had told him to stop doing that.

No, the text was fine. He had kept it short and sweet. He hadn't told him all the things he was thinking.

_I want to be with you all the time. I miss you. I want us to be together in every possible way. I don't want to be scared anymore. I trust you. I want to spend the night with you. And I'm not just saying that because we might die tomorrow. Well, maybe there's some of that, but—_

Sasuke replied to the text.

'_I'm waiting.'_

All right, fuck the jacket. Couldn't find it anyway. His gaze lingered on his stack of converse shoes, then he instead grabbed the boots Deidara had given him that time. And he was off.

He was lucky enough to catch the bus right on time but it still took him a good thirty minutes to get to Sasuke's apartment, including quite a bit of walking on 9th Avenue. He wished he could teleport. Hands in his jeans pockets, he walked with his music bursting in his ears. Poison, Alice Cooper was on. _I wanna taste you but your lips are venomous poison._ He liked his classics.

Naruto looked up as he passed that bar. Laid-Back. With the red door. People hanging out outside. Bass thumping. The smell of cheap perfume and artificial fog reaching his sensitive nose even across the street.

Walking past the establishment quickly, he couldn't stop the memories from rushing to his head.

Sasuke dancing with him. The glint in his eyes. That smirk on his lips. The way his hips moved. The touch of his skin. Softness of his hair. Curve of his spine. The taste of his lips.

Naruto breathed in the night air and walked faster, wind blowing in his hair. He needed to get to Sasuke's place, now.

48th, 49th Street… Nice how the streets were numbered in this city. Smart. The apartment buildings all looked alike but Naruto seemed to magically remember which one it was.

A few minutes later he was on the third floor in the bland, bad-smelling hallway—why did old building hallways always smell bad?—knocking on Sasuke's door. Sasuke opened before the third knock.

"Hi," said Sasuke in that low voice of his. He wasn't wearing a shirt. Which was perfectly normal, Naruto supposed. Sasuke was in his own home and he had every right to walk around shirtless.

Besides no one was complaining.

"Hi."

Sasuke looked so confident and hot, it wasn't fair. It made Naruto feel intimidated. As though sensing this, Sasuke grabbed his arm, pulled him in, and shut the door.

Naruto cleared his throat. "Are your roommates home?"

Sasuke shook his head. "They're training with my partner on the other side. Well," he snorted, "for Suigetsu that mostly implies trying to stop being scared of some chainsaw murderer…"

"Your partner?" Naruto arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Deidara. Business partner only, of course. Don't worry, I'm not cheating on you."

Naruto ignored that, but he hardly repressed an amused smile. "The other side?"

"I got bored of saying Hell."

He looked past Sasuke at the living room. The couch was littered with clothes Naruto didn't recognize. Kiba's stuff, he assumed.

"Come on," Sasuke said and Naruto followed him to his bedroom, the floor creaking with every step.

They closed the door even though they were alone here. The thought made Naruto feel very… hot. All of a sudden he felt like he could light up a thousand candles at once if he wanted to. He caught his reflection in the mirror behind the door. His face looked normal so that was good. Not too red or anything. Whatever. He turned around and saw that Sasuke was pouring some white wine in two glasses. The bottle was half-empty already.

"You've been drinking," Naruto said. It wasn't really a question. "I thought your breath smelled like alcohol."

Sasuke crossed his arms, holding his glass but not drinking it. Only his desk lamp was on, and the room was dim. His laptop was open, too, with a word document. But it was blank. Lack of inspiration, perhaps.

"Yeah well your breath smells like coffee."

"Really?" Crap. He should've brushed his teeth.

Sasuke smiled. "I don't know. Lucky guess. Well, not really. Itachi texted me the other day. Said he was all worried because you're addicted to caffeine and we should do an intervention soon."

"Itachi worries too much."

Sasuke took a sip of wine. Then offered the other glass to Naruto.

"Want some?"

He stepped closer. He couldn't help but lower his gaze for a moment. The way Sasuke's hips stuck out. His flat abs, pale skin. Little to no body hair—his Asian genes, perhaps.

"Sure."

Naruto took the offered glass and started drinking. Wasn't too bad. Kinda fruity but not too sweet. Maybe it was an expensive one. Not that he was a wine expert or anything.

"They didn't card you?"

Sasuke looked thoughtful. Like he was thinking about something else. But he said, "I never get carded."

"Because you're tall."

"So are you."

Naruto drank some wine. "And confident," he added.

"I'm not always confident."

Naruto's eyes caught that fox tribal tattoo again, the one taped to the wall just over the laptop. He wanted to ask about it but didn't.

"You always look confident," Naruto replied instead.

They drank their wine rather quickly, as if it was a competition or something. And Sasuke filled up their glasses before they were empty.

Sasuke lowered his voice. "I just have a really good poker face."

"Yeah, you do."

For a moment Sasuke seemed a bit shy. He just drank his wine, his dark brown eyes looking down as he randomly rearranged some papers on his desk. Naruto drank his wine, too. He sat on the bed and Sasuke sat in the computer chair, rolling it a bit closer so he could fill up their glasses again. Naruto realized the bottle was empty.

Their eyes met, but Naruto said nothing. Sasuke put the bottle away.

"So how's it going at school?"

"You're really asking me about school?" Naruto arched an eyebrow.

"Okay, never mind. How's it going with your band? Back together with them?"

"Kinda," Naruto said quietly. "How's it going with your screenplay?" He glanced at the blank document on Sasuke's laptop.

"It's not really happening right now."

"Must be hard. I've never tried writing a screenplay. Or a story. I just write songs sometimes. And they suck."

"Don't say that."

Naruto just shrugged. Drank the rest of his wine.

"I have more," Sasuke said. And he went to get it before Naruto could say anything.

He came back, filled up their glasses, sat in the computer chair again. Floor creaking under the wheels. Naruto made a nervous laugh.

"Why are we so shy?"

"I don't know," Sasuke replied, the hint of a smile crossing his face.

"Last time it was—"

"Amazing," Sasuke said. "Perfect."

Naruto tilted his head. "It sort of just happened."

"Yeah."

Sasuke put on some music on his laptop. Melodic dubstep. It wasn't what he was used to, but Naruto liked it anyway.

"So you quit the coffee shop?" Sasuke asked. He crossed his long legs, then uncrossed them.

"Yeah. I think that place is gonna close anyway."

"But you're still addicted to coffee." He drank some wine, then brushed his dark hair to the side with a nervous movement of his hand.

"I just don't get it for free anymore. So I shouldn't have quit, really."

Sasuke kept looking at him. And Naruto kept glancing away. Drinking wine. Looking at his feet. At the old wooden floor. Sasuke's black skinny jeans. Why had it been so easy the last time?

Maybe they were just overthinking it now.

"You do look a bit shaky," Sasuke said softly. "Maybe I shouldn't make you drink alcohol."

"It's fine," Naruto replied too quickly. But he kept drinking, and Sasuke didn't stop him. "What's up with you these days anyway? Still working your two jobs?"

"I'm trying."

"How did you get into rock climbing, anyway?" He was eager to change the subject.

"Suigetsu's father taught me. He co-owns the gym where I work."

Naruto made a noise like a chuckle. "Why would anyone want to do that? I don't even understand."

"It's exciting," Sasuke smiled. He was beautiful when he smiled. "It's thrilling. Liberating. And sometimes it's really hard to reach the top, and sometimes you can't quite reach it. But when you do, it feels pretty damn good."

"It sounds like you're describing an orgasm."

Sasuke laughed, a genuine, melodious laughter and Naruto smiled. It was good to hear him laugh.

On a whim Naruto grabbed the bottle and refilled their glasses. When Sasuke stared, he shrugged.

"Might as well finish it."

Sasuke played with the chain around his neck. "Okay."

A few sips of wine later, as Sasuke was busy choosing another song, Naruto suddenly asked, "So have you been with a lot of guys?"

"Define a lot?"

"I don't know. You're only eighteen. Have you been with more than ten guys?"

"Define been with?"

Naruto's heart was beating really fast and he felt embarrassed. He ran a hand through his hair and glanced away, shrugging.

"Well, you know what I mean."

Sasuke smiled. "I guess I do. Yeah I've been with more than ten. But not much more. Probably fifteen."

Naruto drank more wine. Maybe he shouldn't have asked that. He felt intimidated and inexperienced now. There had been Sai, but that was… He shuddered. He didn't want to think about _that_ right now. And there had been Sasuke, the other night. And that was it.

Sasuke said, "I'm glad you're here."

Naruto took one more sip of wine, then put his glass down on the desk, and he looked up.

"If you wanted me to come why didn't you just ask?"

"I guess some part of me whished that you would change your mind about tomorrow night," he admitted. He ran his hand through his hair and glanced away.

On a whim Naruto took his hand. "I'm not changing my mind." Their fingers touched and intertwined, and their eyes met, and it was electric. Their arms found each other and their bodies crashed together like any distance between them was unthinkable. Their lips touched and it tasted like wine. Naruto didn't care. In fact, right now, he decided he loved wine.

They found the bed and fell and rolled over together until Naruto pinned Sasuke down. He took a moment to just look at him, and lock eyes with him, and then they kissed again, their eyes squeezed shut once more like they wanted to forget the world. Naruto's hips bumped against Sasuke's and he moaned. Sasuke smiled through the kiss, and bit Naruto's lip gently.

"Oh my God," Naruto whispered.

Sasuke arched an eyebrow. He looked fucking sexy just like that with his dark hair all messy. His piercings. The chain around his neck.

"Are you happy to see me?"

Naruto arched his back, and Sasuke ran his hands all over him.

"Happier and happier," Naruto said.

They rolled over again so that Sasuke was on top. He kissed Naruto's neck, breathed in his ear, and kissed just below it. Naruto was going crazy. He wrapped his arms around Sasuke and pulled him close, so close. He pressed his hips into him. He just needed to touch him more, so much more.

Sasuke helped him to sit up, and to take his shirt off. Then he kissed his shoulder, and his chest. Naruto's eyes lidded. His fingers tangled in Sasuke's hair. Then he lowered his hands down Sasuke's back and pressed their bodies together. Sasuke's skin was so warm. His heart was beating ridiculously fast. Naruto could feel it.

He whispered in his ear. "You smell amazing."

Sasuke said, "So do you."

"I want this." Naruto's fingers found the hem of Sasuke's stretched jeans, below his hips.

"You mean what's in my pants?" Sasuke breathed, amused.

Naruto felt a little intoxicated, but he liked the feeling. He kissed him, softly and their tongues almost touched, but then he pulled back.

"Yeah."

The laptop speakers still blasted music. The voice singing over the fast-paced beat went, _'I say we start a revolution, just you and me.'_

"Come and get it." Sasuke removed himself from the bed so he could take his pants off and toss them aside. It wasn't like in Naruto's bedroom here; his shirt and Sasuke's jeans were the only items on the otherwise clean floor.

"You mean?" Naruto couldn't stop looking at him. The desk lamp cast shadows and lights across the angles of his body. He was beautiful, and fit, but it wasn't even that. Just… it was him.

It was Sasuke. And he could tell he was holding his breath. His eyes searched Naruto's. Behind it all, he was vulnerable.

"Only if you want to?" Sasuke's low voice was the sexiest thing Naruto had ever heard.

"I want to." He crawled to him and his knees touched the floor.

"Are you sure? I can do it for you first."

Naruto looked up and smiled. "No I want to go first."

Sasuke laughed; masculine and vibrant. "We don't have to fight…"

Naruto was nervous. He wasn't the most experienced person. But he really wanted to do this.

So on a whim, and because he really wanted to see how Sasuke would react, he licked him. The whole length, nice and slow, and he felt it harden as he did.

"Ohh shit…" Sasuke breathed in.

Naruto smirked, and decided he quite liked that reaction. So he just kept going, faster, faster, then slow again, and he played with the tip.

"Fuck… you're good at this, you know?"

Naruto paused, and looked up. "I've been watching a lot of… tutorial videos."

"Tutorial," Sasuke chuckled, "sure. I watch those too sometimes."

Naruto didn't stop. He went for it, the alcohol helping him feel confident. He grabbed Sasuke's butt for support as he blew him. When he dug his nails in the skin a little, Sasuke tilted his head and made the sexiest noise ever. Naruto just loved making him react like that. So he dug his nails more, and tried to go faster and faster with the blow job. He couldn't fit it all in his mouth but he fit as much as he could, and tried not to think about the fact that maybe Sasuke had received better blow jobs from other guys before.

But when you try not to think about something…

As though sensing his sudden insecurity, Sasuke stopped him. He took his arms, helped him up in slow, sensual movements. Pulled him close, kissed him, kissed his neck.

Naruto was so horny. He held Sasuke sort of desperately, and his hands wandered down again, squeezing that hot, tight ass. Sasuke moaned as he lifted one leg and wrapped it around Naruto's hips, pulling him even closer. Sasuke ran his hand in Naruto's hair, pushing it away from his face, and he looked at him with those dark eyes.

They sort of lost balance, and fell on the bed again, smiling. Naruto started to kiss Sasuke all over. He had never felt this way before. Never desired something so much. Someone.

"What do you like?" he asked Sasuke.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke pulled him into a kiss, like he wanted to avoid the question.

But Naruto pulled away softly. "Don't play dumb."

"I guess," Sasuke sounded almost guilty, "I like topping."

"That's okay." But he was a little nervous and Sasuke clearly sensed it.

"I would never make you do anything you don't want to do." He was stroking Naruto's arm. Their eyes met.

Naruto started talking really quickly, the words pouring out messily. "With Sai I hated it. Well, obviously. I hated it, but I kinda liked it. But I felt all guilty and weird for sort of liking it. And I got tested after to make sure I didn't catch anything, by the way. And I'm clean."

"I trust you," Sasuke said in a low voice, reaching out to him, his arm curling around his waist.

Naruto nodded. "I trust you too. Anyways, I never thought I'd ever want to do something like that again. Never thought I'd even have the slightest crush on a guy again, not after what happened with Sai. I mean… but with you, it's… I mean it's more than a crush. Well… fuck. I think I'm drunk." What was he saying. Now he felt all embarrassed and flustered and his heart was beating so loud and fast that he wondered if he was having some kind of panic attack. He slid a hand in his hair and looked away, sort of hiding behind his arm.

But Sasuke grabbed him and looked at him. "Naruto…" The way he said his name. It made Naruto feel too warm inside. Way too warm. And his heart wouldn't stop beating like crazy.

"Naruto," Sasuke said again. He was frowning slightly, looking kind of vulnerable. Maybe they both were. That made Naruto feel a bit better. "Baby," Sasuke said, "I would never hurt you."

"I know. I _know_. I want this."

That seemed to be Sasuke's cue. He took something out of his drawer. Lube. He didn't have to look for it or anything. He knew where it was. That made Naruto smile. He let himself fall on the bed and Sasuke kissed his back as lubed up fingers slowly entered him. Sasuke tried two fingers, then three.

"It doesn't hurt?" He kissed his neck. It made Naruto all shivery. Shivery and feverish and excited.

"No… I kinda like it… I… Ahh… Yeah…"

"Yeah?" He could feel Sasuke's smile against his neck.

Naruto moaned, spreading his legs more. Arching his back more. Sasuke kissed his spine.

"I want you inside me," Naruto said the words before he could even think them.

"Oh my God… you have no idea how hot you are right now…" Sasuke's voice was low and raspier than usual.

Naruto swallowed, then parted his lips. Sasuke kissed them. He was using some more lube to lather his cock now, and Naruto stole a few glances. That was so hot.

"You're… fucking gorgeous," Naruto said. "You could be like, a model, or a porn star, or something."

Sasuke chuckled. "I'm too skinny."

"I don't care."

"Can you…" Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hips and sort of pulled them up a little. "Yeah, just like that. You ready? I'll be really gentle." But he sounded too impatient. Naruto kind of liked that.

"Not _too_ gentle I hope."

Sasuke breathed out shakily. He pushed forward and started to fuck him, slow and gentle as promised. Only half of his cock was in probably, but already it felt overwhelming to Naruto. He moaned and fisted the sheets.

"Does it hurt?"

"Not really… Lube is magical."

That made Sasuke laugh a bit. "Yeah, it is."

When Sasuke's thrusts became deeper, Naruto felt something burst through him. Pleasure he could feel all across his body.

He whispered, "Don't stop."

"Not stopping," said Sasuke.

Instead he picked up the pace. Naruto closed his eyes for a moment. Nothing else made sense to him. The electronic music playing. The rain that had started to fall outside, clattering against the window. He barely registered those things. There was only Sasuke, and the way it felt when he fucked him so deep and hard.

He had no idea how much time passed. It was so overwhelming. He looked over his shoulder to see Sasuke. The lustful expression on his face was so hot. Naruto wanted to be closer to him and hold him but at the same time he didn't want to move because he didn't want it to stop. So he just kept meeting Sasuke's thrusts with his raised hips.

"Feels so good inside you," Sasuke breathed, closing his eyes for a brief moment.

_Oh my God…_

"You're so intense," Naruto said. "Is it… okay to feel this good?"

Sasuke's hand holding his hip was warm and strong. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know, I… I think I'm gonna come…"

"Mm… me too." Sasuke slid a knee forward on the bed and reached around with his hand to stroke Naruto's cock while he never stopped thrusting inside simultaneously. And he didn't even slow down or anything.

"You're fucking amazing," Naruto whispered, his voice shaky. His arms were trembling from holding himself up on the bed. His entire body was trembling. But he didn't feel pain. Just pleasure.

"So are you…"

"Sasuke…"

"I know. Me too…"

Their breathings were loud. They came together and for a long moment Sasuke stayed inside him, hugging him from behind. They didn't say a word. When Sasuke pulled away, Naruto eagerly turned around so that he could hold him in his arms. Sasuke kissed him, then let himself fall and be held really tightly.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked softly.

"More than okay," he whispered in his ear against silky raven hair.

Naruto held Sasuke so tight that for a moment he was worried he would break his ribs or something. But Sasuke didn't complain. Still, Naruto loosened his hold on him.

Then, Sasuke said, "I should probably change the sheets."

"Sorry about that."

"You don't have to apologize."

Sasuke was pulling away, but Naruto held on to his arm, lazily trying to keep him close.

"Next time I'll bring a towel."

"You don't have to _bring_ a towel." The corner of his lips twitched into a smile. "I have towels."

"Stay… We can clean up tomorrow."

Sasuke shook his head, smiled. "How are we supposed to sleep?"

"We can sleep on just one side of the bed. We'll cuddle."

Sasuke gave up then, falling in Naruto's arms again.

"Good night. Little fox."

"Don't call me that. It's weird."

"Deidara calls you that."

"Exactly."

Sasuke laughed softly, then closed his eyes. Naruto had his arm around Sasuke's waist. Thinking that it would be nice if he could just press pause and make this moment last longer.

…

It was late. Dark and quiet. Sasuke was asleep in his arms. His skin was soft and warm. His breathing even. Naruto could feel his heartbeat. He sort of squeezed him tighter in his arms while being careful not to wake him. Naruto felt worried and anxious. He felt protective of Sasuke. They'd had fun and all but now he was reminded that in less than twenty four hours they were supposed to fight some completely insane fight. In Hell.

Maybe they should just run away together, Naruto thought. He didn't want Sasuke to get hurt, or worst. No one in their right mind would willingly venture in Hell and fight crazy demons. He sighed.

Naruto didn't want to go back to sleep, anyway. He'd had some weird dream and he was afraid to go back to that if he closed his eyes again. In the dreams he was going to some attraction park with Sai. Stupid subconscious.

Why would he go to an attraction park—why would he go anywhere with Sai? He hated that guy.

And he fucking hated roller coasters anyway. Those things were scary.

He sat with Sai and they were stuck in that little car thingy and it started climbing up and up, with very worrisome rickety noises. It climbed so high up in the air, higher than all the other roller coasters. Why would they choose this attraction? Why would anyone?

Naruto realized with a sharp pang that they weren't even tied to their seats. That just wasn't right. Fuck. They would die. They would just totally die; be hurtled in the air and fall and fall…

The car dropped and Naruto's stomach did a lurch but then he woke up with a gasp in cold sweat.

It had happened. He'd fallen back to sleep, to that dream again… Shit. He sat up, his hands fisting the sheets on either side of his legs. Sasuke moaned lightly in his sleep but didn't wake up.

"Bad dream?" A soft voice in the dark.

Naruto froze.

A silhouette came out of the shadows and crept closer to the bed. He wasn't very tall, swathed in black from head to toe and had short spiky red hair. The same guy who had crashed Nagato's party and hurt Kiba at that club. Sasori.

Dark Angel. With his wings folded behind his back, and his shiny metallic scythe in one hand. The whole gear.

Naruto breathed out and it formed a white cloud of air. He was so cold all of a sudden, goose bumps running across his skin all over. And he was so terrified that it paralyzed him.

But he found the strength to grab Sasuke's arm. He wanted to protect him, but he didn't know how.

"Don't worry," Sasori said in a sickly sweet voice, "it's not him I want."

The coldness spread and tightened his heart like he was suffocating. His ears started to buzz. He tried to shake Sasuke's arm but his hand wouldn't listen. He tried to say something, shout, anything. But the scythe was wrapped around his neck before he even realized it.

Sasori smiled, a cold smile that contorted Naruto's insides in fear. He felt so fragile and raw all of a sudden, like he was made of sand paper inside. This wasn't right. This couldn't be right. Sasori came to the bed and pulled Naruto closer with the scythe. The blade turned Naruto's skin to ice. He felt short of breath. Sasori's brown eyes were cruel and narrow and they were mocking him. Time seemed to slow down.

"Sleep now," Sasori said teasingly.

_No, no…_

Life was slipping away. He could feel it slipping away as surely as Sasori's cruel smile was inching closer, and soon it was all he could see in the dark room. His hand slid from Sasuke's arm.

He couldn't feel his body anymore. This wasn't real. This couldn't be real.

"It's okay," Sasori said and he lay him down.

And then there was nothing. Nothing… The emptiness engulfed him. It was like trying to swim back up from the depths of the water but realizing he'd already drowned. His last thought was that he wanted to tell Sasuke that he understood his fear of drowning now. And he felt so lonely, and he wished there was someone to pull him out of the water. But there was no one. Only Sasori, taking his life away. Pressing his cold, pale finger to Naruto's lips as he breathed his last breath.

…


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

_The truth is rarely pure and never simple. _

Sasuke woke up and immediately felt for Naruto. He'd had a bad dream but couldn't remember what it was. Right now he just had a bad feeling. His hand found Naruto's arm but something was wrong. He whipped around in the bed and saw that Naruto's eyes were open. And his body was growing cold.

_ His body was growing cold. _

_No. No, no, no. _

Shock paralyzed him, twisted his insides. This couldn't be happening. Couldn't be real.

Then anger. Anger rose within him and spread like a wound welling blood. And he saw red. Red trickled down the walls of his bedroom and met on the floor in a circle.

Yes. This was good. He needed to go, now.

He let go of Naruto's body. He couldn't keep touching his cold, lifeless skin. Not if there was a way to undo this. He was a necromancer for fuck's sake. So he swallowed the lump that had begun to form in his throat and jumped off the bed. Crying was a luxury he couldn't afford right now.

With one knee and one palm down in the red circle created by his own will power, he closed his eyes and shifted.

When he opened his eyes again and looked up he saw that he was atop a mountain. The sky was black and the mountain tops were pure white. The wind was so strong and icy that it almost knocked him over.

Black smoke curled around him and clung to him, clothing him in black, shimmery clothes. Bending reality. Sasuke remembered what Deidara had taught him. But this was like instinct. Like he'd done this before, even though he couldn't remember. He rose to his feet and saw Naruto. Something gripped at Sasuke's heart and wouldn't let go. Naruto was in trouble; he was going to fall off the cliff. Sasuke started running to him.

Naruto had tears in his eyes. Sasuke didn't know if they were there because of the violent wind or something else. Sasuke ran as fast as he could but it still wasn't enough. Naruto slipped and fell, the fragile rocks giving way below his feet. Sasuke wanted to scream but no sound came out.

He reached the edge, his hands catching at the dusty ground. And he saw Naruto fall, a vision worst than any nightmare. Birds flew above—white birds, not black, those ones. And they were making distressed sounds, like they were crying. Something was wrong here. Horribly, horribly wrong. Dread clutched the pit of his stomach and made him feel sick. Why couldn't he make this right?

Naruto's body had fallen among the rocks, so, so far below, broken. Wiping at his eyes, Sasuke started climbing down the cliff. What was real and what wasn't? He didn't know anymore. The rough edges of the mountain side scraped his hands and feet, making them bleed. He kept climbing down, finding hooks and creaks in the pale rock. The cold wind suffocated him. It was all around, and it seemed like the wind had a color; as black and inky as the sky. The birds were gone. Everything else was heavily quiet. There was just the wind, and his own ragged breathing. The tears in his eyes clouded his vision, but he climbed down like this was one of the walls at his climbing gym in Brooklyn; like he'd done it fifty times before.

He must have climbed down at least sixty feet when his trembling hands slipped. If this wasn't real, then why did his body feel so sore? Nothing made sense. He let himself fall, giving up for a moment. And the feeling was strangely liberating. He felt free and light.

But he had something he needed to do. He could still hear Naruto's voice in his head, his laughter, and the brightness of his green eyes.

So he made everything slow down. Suddenly he could hear himself breathe again, calmly. The distance seemed to shrink between himself and those rocks. But he wasn't falling. He was jumping. He wouldn't hurt himself. Nothing was real. Not really. None of it.

He landed in a crouch, his fingers brushing the ground before he leaped back up. He went to Naruto.

But someone was already there.

"Temari." He said her name out loud.

Of fucking course.

She draped her red coat over Naruto's body.

"Poor Naruto," she said softly, thoughtfully. "So afraid of falling. With no one to catch him."

Sasuke stepped forward. He wished he had his sword. No, he wished he had Deidara's sword. A Dark Angel's blade. The one that could kill her for good.

His hatred for her almost made him dizzy. He could imagine so many scenarios in his head, and in every one of them he was hurting her, stabbing her in a different place.

"Get away from him." His voice was calm, but it betrayed his shaking.

He wasn't thinking clearly. Temari didn't move. She studied him.

"What are you doing, Sasuke? Don't you want me to bring him back?" She spoke slowly, like she was talking to a stubborn child. Her curly hair danced in the wind. Her bright red clothes were wrapped tightly around her curves, like snakes hugging her. She seemed to him like a poisonous demon.

"Get away from him," he said again, trying to keep his voice calm. "I'll bring him back. Don't you think you've done enough? Like I would let you take him, too." He stepped closer, but she put up a hand to stop him. She looked amused.

She lowered two fingers. "Three words for you," she said, and her smiled widened slightly. "Are you _sure_?"

His heart skipped a beat. If he did this, Naruto would love him.

_Fuck._

Temari laughed at his expression. She was enjoying this, clearly.

Naruto would love him, adore him, look after him, be there for him.

But he would never know. He would never know if any of it was real. Neither of them would ever know. And what a nightmare to live like that. It wasn't right. It couldn't be right. Sasuke couldn't do this to him.

Not like that. Not like this.

Sasuke's voice was a whisper carried by the wind. "Just do it."

Blood red lips smiled at him, and she nodded. Seconds later, they were both gone. Sasuke was alone in the white mountains, not a soul in sight. The wind was so harsh and cold, it seemed to cut through his skin. He closed his eyes, tears sliding down his cheeks. He thought he heard those birds again. They sounded scared.

…

Sasuke went through the next morning like it was some kind of hazy dream. Among other things, he was very much sleep deprived. Showering, getting dressed, eating the bagel and drinking the coffee that Kiba had bought for him—he did all those things but without really remembering he'd done them.

"I mean we're all nervous," Suigetsu was saying to Kiba in a low voice, "but I think there's something wrong with him."

"I think he can hear us," Kiba replied, holding his unfinished coffee. "Where are you going?" He asked in a louder voice when he saw that Sasuke was stepping in his combat boots and shrugging on his jacket.

"To a meeting," he answered. And he left before they could ask any more questions.

He hadn't told them about Naruto. He couldn't. Not yet. Just the thought of Naruto being manipulated by Temari. Naruto with Sai…

His hands curled into fists at his sides. Rage churned inside him. He pushed the door of the apartment building open and rushed up the stairs to the sidewalk. It was raining pretty hard today. He didn't care. Barely even noticed.

Deidara was walking next to him. Sasuke remained quiet. He didn't feel like talking, not even to Deidara. So they just walked side by side, on their way to the Upper East Side. Sasuke didn't feel like taking a cab or public transit. He was too early for the meeting, anyway. He just felt like walking, rain or no rain. People rushed past them with their umbrellas going all over the place in the wind. Sasuke was annoyed. He didn't like umbrellas. Then again he felt like he disliked just about everything today.

"I already know," Deidara said at some point. Sasuke let out a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding.

"Good." His voice sounded much weaker than he'd intended.

He wanted to keep walking, but Deidara stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. People gave them weird looks but they didn't care. Cars splashed water. Buildings loomed above. City life went on. But it all seemed so surreal and… pointless. People were trying so hard. What for? When precious things could be lost in such a fleeting moment.

"Sasukey… I know what it's like. In 1917 I lost my little brother in the war. But this is different. Naruto is still alive. We'll make it right."

They didn't hug or anything. But it didn't matter. They were together. In a silent agreement they resumed walking.

…

They were meeting the werewolves at a Starbucks. Quite busy, as all Starbucks were. People walking in and out to get their daily doses of sugar and caffeine, paying very little mind to the four young people in the corner, who happened to be discussing some epic fight that would take place in Hell.

Their potential allies were Neji and Hinata. Plus three other wolves, or so they said. Friends that also felt bad about what they did to Naruto. And they wanted to help. Sasuke was in such a sour mood that he would surely kill Neji and Hinata on the spot if he didn't know that five werewolves could make the difference in that fight.

Hinata was very fidgety. Her hair was up in a messy bun. She kept biting her lip. And she wasn't drinking her coffee. She just clutched the warm mug, her green sweater sleeves in her palms. Neji looked calm and composed. He wore a suit, which was kind of weird. Maybe he wanted to have his nicest outfit on in presence of a reaper, just in case.

"How did you guys find out about the situation, anyway?" Deidara asked, sipping his hazelnut latte.

The bustling of the busy coffee shop covered their conversation, but they still avoided obvious words, and tried to remain vague.

"Naruto told me about pretty much everything," Hinata explained in a little voice.

She had already told Sasuke about this on the phone, when she'd contacted him. And he'd told her that, wow, Naruto must have really trusted her. Which had made her cry. He wasn't going to make her cry again. This was pointless chit chat. He'd been avoiding the topic, but these people needed to be filled in if they were going to be their allies.

He cleared his throat. Pushed away his coffee. It was almost empty. He was drinking a lot of that stuff today.

"So you guys are really serious about this?"

Neji nodded. "I owe Naruto, personally, so…" He looked across the table at Deidara. Deidara smiled at him. Neji looked away.

"And three more of you are willing to join?" Sasuke asked.

Hinata sniffed. "Sorry, allergies," she said. "But yes. Three of our friends. They all feel really bad. And this is a good excuse to use their powers, too."

"Well," Deidara shrugged, "whatever the reason. We'll take all the help we can get."

Sasuke put his palms on the table. "And all five of you… are able to transform even when it's not the full moon?"

Hinata nodded. "We've been practicing."

"Have you told Naruto about this yet?" Neji asked.

There it was again. Sasuke couldn't keep avoiding it, he supposed.

"I wanted to tell him as soon as it was settled, today. But there's been… a complication."

Neji blinked. "A complication?"

Next to him, Hinata looked really pale and tense.

"The other necromancer has him," Deidara explained in a low voice. He tucked his blonde hair behind his ears and drank some more coffee.

"What?" Neji hissed. "You've let him get captured? I warned him about this. I knew—"

Sasuke wanted to kill him. Instead he just interrupted him. "You've no right to say this. Not after what you did to him."

Neji stared at him with his odd, pale gray eyes. "You have no idea what it's like, being in a wolf pack. They were direct orders from my father, who is also the pack leader. I had no choice."

"Well, then," Sasuke said, "just quit the fucking pack."

He sighed. "It's not that simple. My father—"

Deidara slapped the table. "We're not here to talk about your wolf problems, you guys."

"The reaper's right," Hinata said.

"I have a name," Deidara replied.

Sasuke took a deep breath to try to calm down. He kept having these urges to just attack everyone. And other times he just wanted to sit in a corner and hug his knees to his chest.

"Shut up. Everybody shut up. It doesn't matter that they have him." Of course it mattered. Fuck. But if he could just finish his little speech, then they would leave, and then… and then he could wait for night fall. "It doesn't matter, because tonight we'll fight them. We'll kill Temari. We'll free all those people she brainwashed, and enslaved, including Naruto. And we'll kill Sasori, too. The city will remain Deidara's territory, and everything will be okay."

Hinata and Neji nodded. Hinata grabbed her purse. Neji stood and cleared his throat.

"We'll tell our friends."

"See you at night fall," Hinata said.

And then they left.

Deidara sipped his latte. "That little speech," he said, "almost convincing."

"Shut up."

Deidara looked to the side pensively. "You looked like you wanted to kill our friend Neji."

"I did."

Deidara tapped his black fingernails against the side of his cup. "If you could just re-direct that anger at Temari and her army tonight, that would be splendid."

Sasuke rattled the chair back, getting up. "You don't have to tell me that."

…

Waiting was excruciating. Like an itch he couldn't scratch. A shaking of his legs he couldn't stop. Thirst he couldn't quench. The stupid sunlight slipped through his curtains like it was mocking him. Night fall still seemed so far away. Kiba and Suigetsu wanted to talk to him. But he was shutting them out, leaving them with Deidara. Sasuke just couldn't be around anyone right now. His head felt like it was going to burst. His eyes were dry. But he didn't want to sleep. He knew what he would dream about if he slept. About Naruto.

God, he felt like he was going to explode. He needed to do something, anything.

On a whim he grabbed a piece of paper from his wall and folded it before shoving it in his pocket. Then he stormed out of the apartment, three pairs of eyes staring from the living room.

…

He was back two hours later, feeling better. Well, that had been somewhat calming, but now he still had some time to kill. Deidara and his roommates had left a note. _'Gone training.'_ Yeah, they needed their training montages, too. Sasuke slid his sword from under his bed. He stroked the black leather sheath. He didn't feel like joining them. He didn't need any more training. He needed to fight. Needed this to be over with. He could feel the restlessness prickling his skin. He felt it in his fingertips. Felt it in his bones.

A presence appeared in his room, followed by a strange wave of warm, sweet-smelling air. He opened his eyes. He didn't remember closing them. Kurama was here. In human form. Wearing all white; white long sleeve shirt, white jeans. He looked so much like Naruto, if Naruto had hazel eyes and reddish hair. It was troubling. Sasuke almost felt like crying. He was probably just really tired.

Kurama stood by the door, crossing his arms. Crossing his ankles. All crossed up.

"I'm not too happy with the situation," he said.

Sasuke stared. "And you think I'm having fun?"

"No. I think you're losing your shit."

"You've got quite a mouth on you, for an angel."

"Getting a tattoo of a fox isn't going to help Naruto, you know."

Sasuke clutched the left side of his chest and winced. "You have no right to stalk me, you creep."

"You said it yourself, I'm an angel." Kurama arched an eyebrow. "I can stalk whom I like."

"Why are you here?"

"I want to help you. To fight with you," Kurama admitted.

Sasuke's eyes widened. "Really?"

"You think I'd joke about this?"

"But… you can't go to Hell… can you?" He leaned forward on the bed, laying the sword down next to him.

"I'm not supposed to, no. But I'm ready to face the consequences, whatever they might be." His hazel eyes darkened.

"That would be…" Sasuke's heart started beating faster. "I mean, we'd have an actual chance, I guess, with your powers." Whatever those were. Sasuke thought it might be rude to ask. But surely Kurama was powerful. He had protected Itachi against Temari and Sasori, after all.

"I see you're not as dumb as I thought. You do realize it was still suicide, even with a couple of cute little wolves by your side, right?"

Sasuke took the blow. Swallowed.

"Why would you be facing consequences, anyway? Can't be that bad. Don't they know you're doing this for Naruto? That's a noble enough cause."

"Not really. They don't care about that stuff. That's not how it works."

"How does it work?"

Kurama gave him a slow, long glance. "It's complicated."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Try me."

"All right. Each spirit guide is given a list of people to look after. We're not allowed to look after anyone who isn't on the list. And we better not get too attached," Kurama said in a bittersweet voice, "because the list can change anytime. And we're not allowed to say goodbye."

"Shit," Sasuke said, "that's kind of harsh." He considered this for a moment. He was curious. Hey, the sun was still shining out there. Might as well kill some time. "How many people are on your list?"

"Twenty."

"And how many spirit guides are there?"

"There's fourteen of us right now."

"That's not very many."

Kurama uncrossed his legs. Uncrossed his arms and shoved his hands in his white jeans pockets instead. Looked at him with amused hazel eyes, a strand of copper hair sliding from behind his ear.

"No, that's not very many."

"I guess the rumors that Heaven is pretty fucking exclusive are true, then."

Kurama laughed. It was a beautiful, melodious laugh and Sasuke was pleasantly surprised to hear it. Shit, he looked so much like Naruto. It made his chest ache.

"I am so not supposed to tell you any of this," Kurama said thoughtfully.

"Then why are you telling me?"

He shrugged. He looked young right now. Like a boy. A young man. Not like some spirit guide that had been dead for a long time. This was so surreal.

Sasuke took a deep breath. "So Naruto is on your list?"

Kurama nodded slowly.

"Am I on your list? What about Itachi?"

Now he shook his head.

"But you're still looking after us?"

"I guess I've been known for breaking the rules once in a while." Kurama smiled like he was really enjoying this conversation. "Might as well go to Hell with you and give my boss a good reason to fire me. She's been looking for one. I'll save her the trouble."

"She? So God's a woman, then?" Sasuke joked. Well, he wasn't entirely sure if he was joking or not.

Again, Kurama laughed. But he said nothing.

"Glad I amuse you," Sasuke said, standing up. He approached Kurama slowly. "You're hiding something from me."

"I'm hiding a lot of things from you."

Sasuke shook his head. Smiled, though he didn't really know why. "No, not a lot. Just one big thing."

"How do you know?"

"I got this feeling."

There was a silence, like they were intrigued by each other. Studying each other.

And then, Kurama's expression changed and he asked, "Does Malachy talk to you a lot? Did he say anything about me?"

An unpleasant cold feeling spread across Sasuke's chest and he didn't like it. He felt betrayed. Vulnerable.

"So you know _him_, too. How?"

Kurama looked like he was in pain. Like he wanted to take a step back, but he was already backed against the wall.

He whispered, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought this up."

Sasuke stepped closer. He felt like he didn't recognize himself. Like something was possessing him. He wanted to threaten Kurama. To make him speak up somehow.

"But you did."

"Sasuke… Tonight we fight. I'll protect you, even if you're not on my list. The reason doesn't matter, for now. I don't know what will happen to me after. I haven't been afraid in a long time." There was a strange fire in his amber eyes. "But I am now. It's good to feel something." He took a deep breath. "I knew Malachy, a long time ago. We were friends. And when I saw him again, after so long, I was with Kushina. Naruto's mother. But he wasn't himself. He was possessing your father… _was_ your father… you already know this. There was nothing I could do to save him. I watched as they destroyed him. And now he's in Purgatory, probably. He'd never been there before." Kurama turned around suddenly, and held up his hair. Sasuke frowned as he saw a small number tattooed just below his hairline. _486_.

"I've been to Purgatory, Sasuke." He turned around again, letting his hair drop. "I might go there again after tonight. I guess I'll be with my old friend. I don't care anymore… for this. For being a spirit guide. I don't know what it means anymore. I… I can't believe I told you about all this. I guess I… needed to. I…" He interrupted himself. Then, "I can't do it anymore. I try to help people, but I don't even like them anymore. I can't. The list changes all the time, anyway. I can't even keep track anymore. I burned the last list she gave me. Naruto wasn't even on it," he whispered. "But I wanted to keep looking after him. He's my family, you know? I feel like I'm going insane. Sasuke," he shook his head, "Sai Cook was on the list instead."

Sasuke didn't know what to say. What could he say? Sai. He couldn't blame Kurama. Who would want to be Sai's guardian angel? Except maybe Temari…

For a lack of a better thing, he said, "Your boss sounds like a bitch."

"I _hate_ her." And he sounded like he was going to cry.

A part of Sasuke was frustrated because he knew that Kurama was still keeping information from him, about Malachy, about everything. And he still felt betrayed and there was this aggressiveness inside him that he didn't really understand.

But he didn't say anything. Instead he just threw his arms around Kurama and held him close. And Kurama held him back. He leaned into him and closed his eyes. It was clumsy and awkward, like Kurama hadn't touched anyone like this in years. Maybe he hadn't.

Sasuke's new tattoo hurt as he pressed himself against Kurama but the pain felt strangely good. He closed his eyes, too. Kurama's hair smelled sweet. His body was somewhat smaller than Naruto's. Less athletic, he supposed. Reminding him that even though they looked alike, he wasn't actually hugging Naruto right now.

So he pulled away from him and cleared his throat.

"You're right about one thing, Kurama. Tonight we fight. And you're gonna help me save Naruto."

…

Twilight finally came, like a soft, dark blanket slowly covering the day and soothing Sasuke's uneasiness, if only a little. No more waiting, at last. Waiting was the worst. Rain had stopped, leaving the evening air refreshing and just slightly damp. The four of them made it to Central Park. They were meeting their last minute allies here.

Suigetsu and Kiba walked up front, deep in conversation. Deidara closed the walk with Sasuke. They were cutting across the south of the park to make their way to the pond, the path crunching underfoot. Deidara made himself invisible to everyone else, which was quite convenient, because this way he could hold their swords for them until they got to the portal.

Sasuke supposed they must have looked like any normal group of friends taking an evening stroll in the park, enjoying the early spring, with its green and floral scents. The wind had stopped along with the rain, and the evening was eerily calm now. Sasuke listened to his friends' conversations, if only to distract himself—to stop thinking about Naruto.

Well, they might look like normal friends taking a walk, but their conversations weren't exactly normal.

"So Kiba," Suigetsu was saying, hands in his pockets, leaning toward his friend, "what happens if you die during the fight?"

"If I die, I die," Kiba said, scratching his curly brown hair, "no big deal. Been there, done that."

"But what happens? I mean," Suigetsu shrugged, and lowered his voice, "do you just go to Hell again, or…?"

"God, I hope so."

Suigetsu was taken aback by that answer. You couldn't really blame him.

"Why would you say that?"

"I don't want to go back to Purgatory," Kiba said simply.

Sasuke's ears pricked at this. He couldn't help but be intrigued. He glanced sideways at Deidara. But he showed no sign of wanting to partake in the conversation. He just gazed at the trees with all the pretty flowers. If he was listening, then he was pretending not to. Good thing he was in discrete mode, too, what with all those swords at his back and belt. He looked like some crazy blonde ninja.

"Is it really that bad?" Suigetsu asked.

"Yeah," Kiba said heatedly. "It's like this giant underground prison. There's never any light, or fresh air. You're always hungry and thirsty, but they never give you any food or water. And there are torture rooms…" He shuddered. "Sometimes they lock you up in cells, other times they let you out. And then they make fun of you, cause you try to find your way out, but there's no fucking way out. So we all look like idiots running around in those stinky ass tunnels, and they laugh."

He was getting all worked up. Suigetsu looked over his shoulder at Sasuke, raising his eyebrows. They'd never really seen Kiba like this before.

Clearly this brought back rather bad memories for him.

"Those guard freaks. You can't see their faces cause they wear big ass black hoods all the time." Kiba shuddered.

"Sounds awful," Suigetsu said in a sympathetic voice.

Kiba just kept going. "I heard there's a way out, and some people find it and escape. But I never found it. I think it's just a rumor. At least I found my dog, though. He was just sitting there in one of the tunnels, a nice white dog like the one I had when I was a kid. Like he was just waiting for me. And I think he tried to show me the way out, but just when I thought I saw a light in an opening in the ceiling, some asshole guard crept up behind me, and he hit me in the head or something cause I passed out. And when I woke up I was back in my cell. Everything was dark and quiet like always. And then after what seemed like hours, Nagato opened my cell and he introduced himself. My dog was with him. Nagato was scratching Akamaru's ears like they were best friends. Nagato asked me if I wanted to go to Hell with him." Kiba laughed. "So I said, you mean this _isn't_ Hell?"

"What happened?" Suigetsu asked when Kiba paused.

He was gazing at someone walking two massive German Shepherds in the opposite direction. Then he said, "I went with him. Later Nagato told me that I was one of the rare ones. Most people imagine the worst. They think it'll be even worst than that crap jail. But I tell you man, at that point, I was just like, fuck it. Anything's better than this shit hole."

"Well," Suigetsu said, "fuck. I hope I don't go there when I die. What were you in your human life anyway?"

"A casino dealer," Kiba answered. He hesitated, like there was more to it. But he kept quiet.

"That's cool. What about you Deidara?" Suigetsu looked over his shoulder.

"I was a chauffeur for some posh family, just before the first world war…"

"In England?" Suigetsu asked.

"Yes, in England. You think I'm doing this accent for fun?"

"That's so cool. Like in Downton Abbey."

Deidara tilted his head, confused. "What?"

Suigetsu almost bumped in a bench since he was so busy looking over his shoulder as he walked. "You know, the TV show. Did you seduce one of the lord's daughters and elope with her?"

"No… I did have an affair with one of his sons, though."

"Ha, nice," said Suigetsu.

"Not really. The lord's wife found out and had me poisoned."

"Oh."

There was a bit of an awkward silence.

Then Suigetsu kicked some rocks with his sneaker and said, "Anyway, I hope I get to skip all those other ones and go straight to Heaven when I die."

Kiba laughed, then Deidara joined in, and even Sasuke couldn't help but snort.

"Why're you all laughing?" Suigetsu asked, but no one answered. "What? I've never done anything bad."

"Are you kidding?" Kiba exclaimed. "You constantly steal stuff from other people. Like," he patted his jeans pocket and frowned, "I'm pretty sure you stole my wallet. Which is pretty fucking stupid, considering you went through all the trouble to help me get a fake ID."

Suigetsu gave him back the wallet, looking sheepish. "Sorry. I start therapy next week."

"Anyway," Kiba said, "doesn't matter if you've got charity donations and volunteering on your resume. They don't care. They choose people from time to time. That's all I know."

"I've heard it's not all that great, anyway," Sasuke put in.

They both looked at him like they'd just seen a ghost.

"He speaks," Suigetsu said teasingly.

"Yeah. I'm not dead yet," Sasuke replied.

Deidara stepped in. "No one is going to die, boys. Calm down."

"You don't know that," Suigetsu said.

Deidara didn't reply.

They found the portal amidst some trees, overlooking the pond. Everything was very calm. The others weren't here yet. They'd notice if they were, considering they were waiting for five wolves and a giant fox. Sasuke really hoped Kurama hadn't bailed out of fear of upsetting God or something like that. And he hoped Hinata's parents hadn't found out about the whole thing. For all he knew Hinata and Neji were grounded in that shitty wolf basement place.

While they waited, Suigetsu was having a bit of fun. The portal was smaller than Sasuke had expected. And it wasn't red or anything like that. It was very discrete. Seemed to be made of some weird fog. They only found it because Deidara knew its exact location. Suigetsu didn't shift right away when he stepped in, so he kept stepping in and out. It made him all blurry—and he said for him the outside world got blurry too—and then clear again when he stepped out. It had a sort of invisible dome over it, and could hold maybe up to three people at once.

"Am I invisible now?" Suigetsu asked as he stepped in for maybe the seventh time.

"No," Kiba rolled his eyes, "we can still see you."

"It's so weird." Suigetsu put his hand in and out of the fog. "Like, here it's cold, and here it's not. Like, how did they do this?"

"Stop it get out of there," Kiba replied, "what if you accidentally teleport? They'll kill you."

"They won't kill me I'm adorable."

Deidara leaned against a tree, crossing his arms. "You won't accidentally teleport. Only Sasuke or myself can activate it."

"How?" Sasuke asked him.

"With our blood."

_Obviously._

"Hey, are you all right?" He stepped closer to Deidara while the two others were arguing about one thing or another. He had noticed Deidara looked nervous.

"Just tired of waiting."

"I know what you mean."

But they didn't have to wait much longer, thankfully. The five black wolves arrived furtively through the forest, heads slightly lowered. Neji and Hinata were the two wolves at the front. Sasuke recognized their gray eyes. Neji was surely the bigger one.

And Kurama sort of just materialized; a bright red fox even bigger than Neji's wolf form. Sasuke had texted Hinata about this earlier, but the wolves still looked a bit shocked at the sight. Well, he couldn't really blame them. Foxes weren't supposed to be bigger than wolves.

Deidara touched Sasuke's back briefly, before walking past him. "I'll go in first. Here." He gave him back his sword. Then he gave Kiba and Suigetsu their swords back, too. "You go in last," he said, still addressing Sasuke. "Make sure everyone goes in between."

"Well," Sasuke said somewhat weakly, "it's not like I'm forcing anyone…"

"I know," Deidara said, "but I still want you to go last."

Sasuke just nodded. He held his sword, and felt very nervous all of a sudden. This was really happening.

The others were all getting ready to go, lining up behind the reaper, next to the portal. Sasuke frowned.

"Wait, everyone…" He took a deep breath. He just felt like he should say something. Warn them. "For some of you this will be the first time." He looked at the wolves. "Just make sure you all stay together. Just stick together. Ignore everything else. Don't let your fears get the better of you. And… when we fight those people, remember they're being manipulated by a necromancer. We don't have to kill them. Just distract them as best as we can, and Deidara and I will go for the other reaper and necromancer, and then it'll all be over."

He just felt nervous. It was really hitting him. What they were doing. Suigetsu and Kiba. And those young werewolves. They were all looking at him now, wondering if he was done or if he had anything else to say.

"Just," he said, "don't get killed."

They figured he was finished after that. Deidara cut his palm and activated the portal, and the others followed him, one after the other. Sasuke could almost feel the uneasiness in the air. Kurama was the last to go just before him. He glanced at him with his round hazel eyes before stepping in.

Sasuke glanced around to make sure there was no one in this area of the Park. Then he went through the portal after Kurama.

And he heard a voice in his mind.

'_Don't worry so much Sasuke. I'm here, aren't I?'_


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"_Whoever fights monsters should see that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."_

They met again in the other dimension. The first thing he noticed was an unusual amount of fog and blackish smoke on their makeshift battlefield. Even for this place, it was extreme. Sasuke could see that there were many people in the other group—definitely fifty, maybe more—but he couldn't make out their faces. He couldn't see the outlines of the white river in the distance.

Suddenly one of the smaller wolves ran off. Sasuke recognized Hinata. She'd been frightened by something. Well, Hell could do that to a person—or wolf, apparently. But still, he'd warned them about sticking together no matter what. Damn it.

Sasuke was the first to catch up to her, before she could get too far. They rolled over in the white dust, the wolf pinning him down with her legs.

"Hinata," he said very calmly, trying to ignore the fact that she was snarling at him and her fangs were really intimidating, "we need to fight, remember? And I'm not the enemy. We need to do this, for Naruto…"

Well apparently that was the key word. Something changed in her gray eyes and she let go of him. They walked back together toward their group. Deidara sent them a glance but said nothing. She stayed really close to Sasuke, like a dog with its owner. Still frightened, but determined.

For a moment everything was still. A storm was coming. They could smell it in the air. It was like electricity crackling all around. Waiting to burst. Sasuke thought he heard thunder roaring but it was faint.

Then it seemed everyone started talking at once. Louis—fucking Louis was here—stepped forward in between their two groups.

"What is he doing here?" Deidara asked. He'd already unfolded his massive feathery wings and now he unsheathed his long, sharp white blade.

"I'll be the referee," Louis answered.

Temari and Sasori had stepped out of the dark smoke. Temari was pointing at Kurama.

"What I want to know is, what is _that_ doing here?"

Kurama didn't answer because, well, he was a fox. But he seemed to glow with renewed energy. There was a warm, bright aura about him, and he clashed in this darkness. He looked like something that didn't belong here. Nevertheless, Sasuke was glad to have him by his side.

"Very good question," Sasori added sharply. He had deployed his wings as well. All black, with the occasional brown feather.

There was another roar of thunder. And lightning pierced the black sky somewhere in the distance. The wolves were nervous, but they held their ground. Black smoke curled around their legs, but it wasn't hurting them.

Sasuke leaned closer to Deidara. "What's with all the black stuff?"

"That's Sasori. He likes to create an atmosphere."

"Great."

"Why is there a referee?" Deidara said much louder. "There's never a referee. There are no rules."

"That doesn't change, _mate_," Sasori said like he wanted to make fun of Deidara's accent. Their groups were about ten feet from one another. "There are no rules. Louis jut wanted to be here. He's our new leader, after all, and New York is an important city."

_New leader?_

Sasuke was craning his neck, trying to see Naruto in that crowd, among all that smoke. Stupid Sasori with his smoke. He couldn't see him. Couldn't see Sai, either. Was that good or bad? Was Naruto okay? He saw Ino, though. She was in there. Just like the others, she looked brain dead. Just like Temari's brothers, Sasuke thought as he saw them both, standing just behind their sister. The tall one and the smaller one; Kankuro and Gaara, he remembered. They looked like zombies. Pale, drained. She had done this to her own siblings. To so many people. And she would do it again. Sasuke took out his sword, the obsidian blade gleaming in the darkness. He had to stop her tonight. He had to. The hilt of his sword, with the small red snake carved around it, cut into his hand from clutching it too hard. But he didn't care. He welcomed the pain. It calmed him.

"The new leader?" Deidara was saying. "When did that happen? I wasn't asked to vote."

"Maybe your vote isn't important," Sasori retorted.

Very mature of him.

Another roar of thunder. This time, the wind rose with it, cold and harsh and carrying the smell of rain along with the familiar scent of burning and ashes.

Louis stepped forward, pointing an accusing finger toward Kurama, much like Temari had done before.

"It should be against the rules. He shouldn't be here. These fights ought to be more rigorously regulated, and I will not stand for—"

Deidara and Sasori spoke at once. "Shut up, Louis."

"There are no rules," Deidara said again in a lower voice. He leaned in to speak to Sasuke. His light blue eyes looked straight ahead, as clear as Sasuke had ever seen them. "This is life or death, mate. Don't screw up."

"I won't." He clutched his sword with both hands.

It was starting, just as lightning stroke once more. And with it came the rain, pouring hard. Immediately Suigetsu and Kiba flanked Sasuke's sides, raising their swords. They were nervous but they were placing his life before theirs. Sasuke's chest tightened painfully. What if something happened to them? That was on him.

He just wished he could protect everyone. This was insane. He couldn't believe they were actually doing this. And where the fuck was Naruto? He couldn't see him anywhere. His eyes raked Temari's army through the rain, trying to locate him in that crowd of empty-eyed people.

_Don't screw up._

He'd wanted to sound confident. But he didn't feel confident at all. He was actually really worried. If he could just find a way to end this quickly. To lessen the damage. He didn't want anyone to die. Well, okay, maybe Sasori and Temari. And maybe Sai. But the others—

He heard a voice in his head, cutting through his thoughts just like lightning pierced the sky.

_You need more power._

He'd heard it before. _Your brother never used it. Will you?_ It was the same voice. A shudder ran through him. The battle was starting. The five wolves leaped forward, all fangs and claws, their black fur all wet in this rain. Suigetsu and Kiba were saying something to him but he couldn't hear.

_I can give you so much power. _

Yeah. Fuck. Whatever. He needed it. He was desperate here.

He breathed in sharply as he felt something rip through him. At first it was painful, but then it felt amazing. Like an adrenaline rush. Kiba and Suigetsu were shouting at him.

"Sasuke, snap out of it."

"Focus, man."

His friends were forced to part when they got attacked by two people from the opposite team. Temari's people had weapons; swords, knives, some of them even had guns. But apparently they weren't very good shots because no one had dropped to the ground yet. Sasuke saw the werewolves going for the ones with the guns to bite at their arms until they dropped their weapons. Smart.

Shit. Kankuro and Gaara were on him. They had no weapons, but they teamed up against him. He tried to fight back, but he wasn't quick enough. The ground was slippery. Almost right away the tall, dark-haired one—Kankuro—knocked his sword out of his grasp with a kick. And already Gaara was grabbing his throat, trying to strangle him. Fuck, Gaara might be small but he sure was strong. Sasuke was on his knees, choking. His slippery hands pushed at Gaara's arm but it was like steel closing around his neck. Well, this was not good.

_Take more power. Give in._

And he did. It was so simple. He just closed his eyes, saw red for a moment, and when he opened them again everything was so much clearer. The rain didn't matter anymore. Time seemed to slow down. It was that feeling again. Like nothing could stop him.

He was stronger, and faster. His movements were more precise and calculated.

Sasuke just grabbed Gaara's arm, and he tugged at it sharply. As Sasuke got back up, his knee clashed with Gaara's stomach, knocking the air right out of him. Then he turned and stopped Kankuro's kick mid-air. It was like his opponents were moving sluggishly and slowly all of a sudden. Sasuke's hand curled into a fist and he punched Kankuro in the face, sending him down next to his brother in a splatter of rain.

Slowly, he breathed in and out. The thunder sounded different—less threatening. The colors were different. Brighter. Nothing was black and white anymore. He could see everyone.

Louis was watching with his permanent scowl. Like he was watching a movie that was disappointing him. He could've been sitting on a couch with popcorn. Sasuke saw the wolves fighting humans. He knew the wolves weren't trying to kill them. Just to stop them for long enough. It wasn't necessary to kill them. They just needed to stop Temari.

Sasuke lowered himself in a crouch and grabbed his sword. He leaped back up and made his way to that head of curly blonde hair in the shadows. He was aware of everything else. Deidara and Sasori had met in a clash of blades. Kurama had stopped some of Temari's army with a wall of fire. That warm glowing aura had changed into waves of fire spiraling around him. But he constantly had to fight to keep the flames up with all this rain.

Even though he was aware of everything surrounding him, Sasuke focused only on Temari. He blinked rain out of his eyes as he advanced towards her. Some guy tried to attack him but Suigetsu stopped him, slashing inexpertly with his sword. Well he must have hit because the guy fell.

"Shit I think I killed him."

Kiba was grabbing Suigetsu's shoulder, taking him away. "It's okay, you did what you had to do…"

Sasuke glared right into Temari's eyes, holding his sword steadily. Her irises were a rare shade of turquoise. She could've been beautiful. But her smugness, the way she wanted to have so many people at her feet, doing her fucking bidding, made her ugly to him. Time to end this. She stared right back at him, a smile dancing on her face. Something was different about her. He could feel it and it made him falter. Some kind of aura… something… familiar.

His heart started beating faster—even faster.

He saw through the rain and shadows now, just behind Temari. Naruto and Sai stood there. Sai looked perfectly healthy. Naruto, not so much.

"What did you do?" He clutched his sword so tight that he couldn't feel his fingers anymore.

Temari put a fist to her hip. With her other hand, she beckoned Sai to step closer. Naruto was leaning heavily against Sai. Sasuke noticed Sai had both his hands, but the right one was gloved. Naruto looked like he was about to pass out; dark circles under his eyes, rashes on his skin, dry lips, hair all tangled. Broken, empty, like a shell of himself . Like a dying person, Sasuke thought with a pang. Sai's arm around Naruto's waist made him squirm inside.

They had stolen all of his powers. They must have. And he hated them for it.

_Fucking assholes._

"Naruto's been very generous," Temari beamed. "It feels amazing, honestly." She opened a palm and a small flame appeared. But it got killed by the rain right away. "Well, I still need some practice," she said, sniffing. "Sasori insisted we should have a bit of," she waved her hands about, "atmosphere, what with this weather. Very cliché, if you ask me. Oh, there he goes again."

Her eyes gazed past Sasuke and before he could follow her glance, he jumped out of his skin as a terribly loud, bone-chilling sound resonated through the air. Like something out of Silent Hill or something. Fucking Hell. He spun, his boots splashing a puddle. Sasori was using some weird power to trap Deidara in some kind of invisible cage that just came out of nowhere and closed in on him. Deidara's wings were being crushed by those clear walls or whatever they were, and black smoke filled up the tiny space so he couldn't breathe. Deidara was suffocating. Sasuke glanced at Sasori. He looked quite proud of himself, that bastard. How dare he? Maddened with rage, Sasuke wanted to go and help Deidara.

Actually, Kurama beat him to it. The spiraling flames formed a sphere and Kurama directed the attack at Sasori. It was so fast and the dark angel didn't see it coming. He was too arrogant. It was all over his face; Sasori didn't think anyone could hurt him. But when he noticed Kurama's attack hurling towards him it was far too late. The fire caught him and burned him. Sasori shrieked and wrapped himself in his wings, rolling on the ground. The rain was on his side, but the fire still seemed to do a lot of damage before dying out.

The walls around Deidara seemed to drop and he collapsed to the ground, breathing hard. But he was all right. And he still had his wings, unlike Sasori. The latter staggered back to his feet, but where his wings had been now gleamed two red lines of charred skin on his back. Deidara looked like he wanted to laugh. Louis looked annoyed.

But Sasuke ignored all of that. Deidara was okay, for now. It was all that mattered. And okay, perhaps later he would laugh, because it was kind of funny that Kurama had burned Sasori's wings. But not now.

Sasuke turned his head. Temari was touching Naruto now, trailing her red nails across his arm. Naruto's skin was so red and dry under the ill-fitting, thin shirt and pants he wore. And his veins were visible through his skin. What had they _done_ to him?

Temari grabbed him and pulled him closer, so that he stood in between her and Sai. Well, if she wanted to piss him off even more, it was working. He raised his sword, its sharp black tip pointed at the other necromancer.

"Where was I? Oh yes. Naruto's been very friendly," she said.

"I'm going to kill you." He wanted to hurt her. Needed to.

_Take more. Take all of it. _

So he did. It rushed through his veins like electricity. Everything was so clear and well defined. He was aware of wounded people dropping to the ground, and wolves fighting humans. He heard growls and the sound of fangs biting into flesh. He thought he saw Ino blocked behind Kurama's flames. Good. That was safer. From the corner of his eye he saw Deidara and Sasori shouting at each other. Kiba and Suigetsu fighting back to back. Sasuke felt like no one could possibly hurt him, because he would see them coming miles away. Even the rain seemed to fall more slowly. His sword was like an extension of his arm.

It was like everything surrounding him was in a slightly different frequency.

He moved so fast—his entire body, every muscle, every nerve, synchronizing into this attack—raising the blade and then slashing the air, and just as he was about to cut Temari's neck, he stopped. And he breathed out, shocked.

Naruto had placed himself in front of Temari to protect her. The tip of his sword had almost cut Naruto's neck instead of Temari's.

Sasuke looked at him. His eyes had lost their brightness completely. He wasn't himself at all. He was brainwashed. Gone. Shit.

"He won't let you hurt me," Temari whispered, but he could hear her very clearly despite the thunder roaring once more. Sasuke thought he felt the ground shaking. Temari had her hands on Naruto's arms. "Why would he? I saved him. He owes me his life. Don't you know how this works yet, Sasuke? Look at those two fighting over there. They don't have to do this." She glanced at Kiba and Suigetsu. They were outnumbered and had some scratches here and there, but they were still fighting. Still alive. "They don't have to be here. But they are. For you," she said, licking her lips. Her mouth was close to Naruto's ear, but he wasn't reacting at all. "You know, Naruto remembered all about you, at first. But I told him to forget. So he forgot, just like that." She snapped her fingers. "In fact, I knew Sai fancied him, so I convinced Naruto to give him another chance."

Right in Sasuke's face, Sai—all smiles—grabbed Naruto's neck and kissed him. And Naruto didn't really respond, but he didn't push him away, either.

Temari said, "Adorable."

Sasuke pushed them away. He just grabbed them both and shoved them to the side so he could get to Temari. And clearly she hadn't expected him to make such a blunt move. But he did. He was on her before she knew it. He tried to stab her but she sort of twisted herself away and the sword only tore her red shirt. Sasuke wasn't the only one who could move fast.

She was behind him, grabbing the gun at her belt.

Still too slow.

Sasuke whirled and crushed her wrist in his fist, bones snapping, making her scream and drop her weapon.

"Fucking hate guns," he hissed.

But she had another weapon. A knife. She took it out with her left hand and plunged it in Sasuke's stomach. His eyes widened in shock and he thought he heard his heartbeat slowing down. She pulled back the knife, and she was getting ready to strike again. He had dropped her wrist.

_Doesn't matter. Take more. All of it. Give in completely. Don't look back._

Yes. His heart started beating faster again. And faster. And it was exhilarating this time, even more so than before. This time he felt like he was about to burst. And the pain in his stomach didn't even matter anymore. Everything else was so slow and clumsy. Even Temari. As he looked at her he _knew_ he could do this. He could move faster than he could think. She misinterpreted his reaction. She thought he was hurt. She just held her wrist, looking annoyed.

Also, screw that bullshit about his sword not being a good enough one to kill her. He would _make_ it good enough. As he sliced the air with his sword he thought he saw black and red flames licking the dark blade. Temari barely even had time to be surprised. He slashed her chest. Then he drew back and pounced again, stabbing her in the heart. Her lips formed a scream but only blood came out.

Something moved in Sasuke's palm, so he let go of the hilt. The red snake curled around the blade and jumped to Temari's neck, wrapping its scaly form around it to strangle her. She was choking in her blood, falling to her knees. She looked at Sasuke one last time, and it seemed she couldn't believe her eyes. Sasuke wasn't sure he understood what was going on, either. But this felt good. This felt right. At the same time it felt wrong, which was very confusing. But he ignored that.

The feeling was difficult to describe. But the word euphoria came to mind. This was such a rush. That snake had come to life to finish her off, and now it curled back around the hilt like nothing had happened. Sasuke's fingers closed around it and he pulled it back slowly. Blood gushed out of Temari's wound as she dropped, lifeless. The puddles were red. The battlefield was stained.

Thunder roared one more time, and Sasuke was vaguely aware that the rain was stopping. He swallowed hard, looking at his sword. He felt like if he tried to look elsewhere, he would be overwhelmed. So he just focused on his blade. It was so red now. Drops of blood formed at the tip and fell like red tears on his boots.

He didn't want to look, but he looked anyway. Temari's body. It was gone. Where she had been now ashes and blood heaped on the ground.

The fight sort of stopped. Those people she had brainwashed lost their will to fight. They were just terribly confused. The werewolves backed away slowly, carefully. But they backed away. Louis was shouting some useless crap about something being against the rules and whatnot. Everybody pretty much ignored him.

Ino was on her knees among the confused people. The fire was gone. The rain was gone. She had bruises and her hair was muddy but she looked okay. Sasuke didn't look at her. Not really. He wasn't looking at anyone. Just trying to make sure his friends were okay. Kiba and Suigetsu were clearly exhausted and hurt but they would survive, too. Good.

When he dared to look up he saw Sasori coming his way. He didn't look too pleased. He was quite beat up himself. So was Deidara. But they were now interrupting their fight for obvious reasons. Well, this was a bit awkward.

"How could you do this?" Sasori was pissed. "No, seriously. How? You're not…" he stopped in front of Sasuke after walking around the pile of ashes. "You can't possibly—"

"We won," Deidara called from a few feet away, still down on his knees. He rustled his wings, sending water everywhere. "Deal with it. It's over." He sounded tired, but still somewhat nervous. Sasuke didn't look at him directly.

Sasori was standing too close. Sasuke realized he should feel scared. The wind was gone. But that smell of storm and electricity and fire still lingered in the air. It was almost too still. Sasuke wondered if everyone could hear his heart beating so damn fast. He was still holding his sword. He realized his palm was bleeding from holding it too tight. His stomach was still bleeding from that wound, too. But he couldn't feel the pain.

He just felt warm and cold at the same time. It felt… wrong.

"What's going on?" he whispered to himself.

Sasori ignored that. He grabbed his own head. He looked like he was going mad. "This wasn't supposed to happen," he shouted. "You have no right. No right."

Louis stepped in. Fucking Louis. "Sasori has a good point. This should be against the rules. Sasuke shouldn't be in possession of a dark angel blade."

"It's not a dark angel blade," Deidara said in a low voice. He was gathering himself up. Some of his blonde hair had come free from the tie.

Sasuke's hands were shaking. He took a step back but immediately Sasori was on him, narrowing his eyes. Brown eyes. But there was no warmth in them. As cold as ice.

"How did you do it?" he hissed. "Was it some kind of black magic? I don't even care. I'll kill you," he said.

He heard a voice in his head, but a very different voice. Softer, kinder. Worried. This time it was Kurama using telepathy.

'_I've used up all of my energy. I can't protect you.'_

Sasuke was suddenly very aware that Sasori also had a sword in his hand.

He thought he heard someone—was it Suigetsu, or Deidara?—shouting his name. But it was too late. He tried to block with his own blade but Sasori was too fast and sharp. Whatever powers Sasuke had used, they still weren't good enough to rival with a dark angel. Sasori grabbed Sasuke's shoulders and stared him in the eye. His sword was hilt deep in Sasuke's chest. There was nothing. Nothing at all. Only pain. Sharp, and searing, and just _pain_. So much of it that he didn't even think it was possible. And Sasori's cold eyes staring him down. He choked on his own blood, just like Temari had done before.

Again, he thought he heard someone shout his name. It wasn't Suigetsu, or Deidara, though, it was Naruto, and it was the last thing he heard.

Because then thunder roared one last time, very loudly, overpowering any other noise. And as Sasori pulled back his sword from his bleeding chest, lightning pierced the black sky and stroke Sasuke. It ripped through him fiercely and shattered him, and the pain became too much to even feel. Then there was truly nothing. Only white, then black.

…

People were screaming. They were coming to their senses after Temari's defeat and they were so confused. Some of them were very badly hurt. Some of them were dying. Naruto sat on the wet, dirty ground, clutching his chest. He felt as though he'd just woken up from some horrible nightmare, only to find out the nightmare was all too real. Some of his powers had come back when Sasuke had killed Temari, and it was the only thing keeping him from passing out.

But now he wanted the rest back. He latched onto Sai, pressing both hands to his chest. But he wasn't healing him or anything. He was taking it back—all of it. Coal black eyes stared up at Naruto but Sai didn't try to stop him. He seemed a lot less confident when his blonde necromancer BFF wasn't around.

Naruto felt a surge of energy as the powers came back to their rightful owner. It pulsed through him and already he felt so much better. He could see clearly. His skin was starting to heal. He was still tired, but somehow he felt more awake. Awake in a dream.

He just wanted to find Sasuke and get the fuck out of here. Temari was dead. It was over. The werewolves clearly wanted to leave, too. They had enjoyed the fight, Naruto could tell. It was, after all, in their nature. But now that it was over they seemed to remember where they were, and they got anxious. Naruto couldn't blame them. Taking back his powers had only taken a few seconds. They had just leaped out of Sai and filled a void inside him, like they'd been waiting for him this whole time.

Naruto pulled away from Sai and looked in Sasuke's direction. And he realized what was happening. It wasn't over at all. They weren't safe. Sasuke wasn't safe.

He heard Kurama's telepathic voice.

'_I've used up all of my energy. I can't protect you.'_

But he was addressing Sasuke. Naruto assumed he heard it because he was somehow connected to the fox spirit.

Before he could even begin to get up, he watched, helpless, as Sasuke got stabbed—again. Oh yes, he'd witnessed the whole thing with Temari earlier. It had been torture. Like an out of body experience. He had no control over his own body. Now he did, but he still couldn't protect his friend. It was so frustrating and infuriating. He heard someone shout Sasuke's name and then he realized it was his own voice.

He jumped to his feet. But then there was the thunder, so loud and threatening, making the bloodied ground tremble. And the lightning. Naruto almost fell again as his heart missed a beat. It stroke Sasuke and it was horrifying. It made him feel sick, deep inside, to see him in so much pain. He launched at Sasori, attacking him from behind. He caught him by surprise. Naruto didn't even think. There was no time to think. He just acted. Sasuke was bleeding and he was possibly dead and Naruto just saw red.

So he tackled Sasori and grabbed a handful of his stupid spiky hair. He yanked it back and then knocked his head on the ground, hard. He shouted something that didn't make much sense and he kept hitting Sasori's face until it was bleeding. Drops of water fell in the mess and Naruto realized they were his tears.

"Enough," a voice said behind him. Louis.

Naruto stopped. He removed himself from Sasori, hands bloody and shaking. The black smoke seemed to be clearing up all around. Naruto's whole body was trembling really badly. Sasori was pushing himself up on his elbows weakly, his face bruising up. He wasn't passed out but he wasn't strong, either.

"That's enough," Louis was saying. "This fight is pointless. Well, this was educational, I suppose…"

Naruto wasn't really paying attention. He rushed to Sasuke's side. Deidara was already there, rolling him over, frowning.

"I can't feel his heart," Deidara said, looking up at Naruto, who sat down and pressed his hands to Sasuke's wound. So much blood. Fuck. Okay, he needed to focus. He could do this. He started to feel that warmth in his hands, and that tingle in his fingertips. Good. Naruto couldn't look at Sasuke's face. Otherwise he would just scream, and cry, and go mad. He couldn't do that right now. Not if there was the slightest chance that he could save him.

Damn, this heat was almost too much. He was still so inexperienced with this.

He heard Kurama's voice again. Addressed to someone else.

'_What are you waiting for? We need you now.'_

Who was he trying to speak to?

Meanwhile Louis was helping Sasori to his feet. "This fight is a draw. No, it's cancelled. This is outrageous…"

Blah fucking blah. Naruto ignored him. He focused on that warm glow spreading all across his body. He used it to keep Sasuke alive—or he tried to, anyway. He hadn't had much practice, but fuck, he would be damned if he didn't try his hardest.

"Is it working?" Deidara whispered, like he was too curious but really didn't want to bother him.

Naruto frowned. He didn't know. But his powers were supposed to be at full capacity. And he could feel them rushing through his veins, muscles, nerves. He just wasn't sure how to use it all.

"I think his skin's healing," Deidara said, tugging at Sasuke's burnt clothing.

This helped Naruto feel more confident. Come on. He could do this.

A new person arrived at the battlefield then, walking past the wolves, and walking past Kiba and Suigetsu, who were both coming to loom over Deidara's shoulder, Naruto now noticed.

He didn't want to look up from Sasuke. He felt like if he lost focus even for just a second he might lose him. But Deidara was right. His skin was healing.

_Come on, Sasuke. How many times must I help you cheat death? I thought you were the necromancer._

"Old friend," the newcomer said. Nagato's voice. Somehow, Naruto understood he was addressing Kurama. Though he had no idea how those two knew each other. How old were they really? How many dimensions had they lived in? What had happened in their past?

Naruto kept his warm, glowing hands on Sasuke's chest, but he listened.

"I thought my mind was playing tricks," Nagato said to the fox spirit, "but here you are."

'_You're late.'_ Kurama replied, though only Nagato and Naruto could hear.

Louis wasn't too impressed. He just kept on rambling about the same useless crap. No wonder he was in politics.

"In the future, these fights will be more strictly regulated," he said, "as I'm sure you'll agree, Nagato. For today, the fight is cancelled."

"I don't agree at all," Nagato replied. Naruto could see his black and silver boots and the bottom of his dark red wings. His presence was comforting, somehow. His voice was very calm and soothing.

Nagato went on, "The fight is Deidara's. Sasori's necromancer is dead."

Louis seemed confused. "So is Deidara's."

"No," Nagato said, "he isn't."

…

Naruto smiled when Sasuke opened his eyes.

"Hey."

"What happened?" Sasuke asked softly. He still looked very weak. But at least he was alive.

He was home. In his bed. Safe. Sasuke had locked himself in the bathroom and showered earlier, just after shifting dimensions, but he'd been like a zombie. And he'd passed out in his bed before Naruto could explain anything.

Now Naruto handed him a glass of water and Sasuke took it. He sat up in the bed and winced, clutching the sheets against his chest. He was all healed up, though, even if his body was clearly still sore. It was a miracle, really. Naruto had no idea how he'd done this. It was all so blurry now. It all seemed like a bad dream. The early sunlight shone through the window, warm and comforting. Sasuke's bedroom was clean and tidy as always; the laptop was at its usual spot on the desk with some notes scribbled on lined paper around it.

After Sasuke drank his water, Naruto started to explain. How he had gotten his powers back, healed him, and how Nagato had showed up to save the day.

"Louis and Sasori just took off in some weird black portal. Leaving us behind to clean the mess. Classic villains." He shook his head in disbelief. He looked up as the curtains were rustled by the refreshing wind. Naruto had showered too while Sasuke was asleep. And he'd borrowed some clothes from Suigetsu. Just normal jeans and a thin white t-shirt. He just didn't want to ever wear the clothes Sai had lent him, ever again—in fact he would probably burn those.

He felt more comfortable now. This was nice, just sitting on the bed with Sasuke. It was calming. Back to normal. Naruto needed this.

"Deidara and Nagato helped everyone to get back. The werewolves are fine. I thanked them. I thanked Hinata." He nodded, more to himself. "I know she did it for me. I can never thank her enough. I told her we'd be friends from now on. I think that's all she ever wanted, you know?" He shrugged, and scratched his damp hair. "Suigetsu and Kiba are asleep. I kinda… healed them, actually." He looked at his own hand almost timidly. "I'm still not sure how it works but… it works, so. Um, so yeah, Kurama stayed behind, said he was waiting for Heaven's verdict, or something like that. Whatever that means. He kind of sounded like he was joking, but I never know with him. Hope he's okay. Anyway, I think Deidara stayed with Nagato, after everything. He needed to rest, and heal, you know. So do you, by the way. You should go back to sleep. You did it, Sasuke." He bit his lip and smiled. "You killed her. You saved everyone."

Their eyes met. Naruto's smile faded slightly. Sasuke looked… off. He didn't know how. He just didn't look himself. His dark brown eyes were the same but they were… the eyes of a stranger. Wait, no. That didn't make any sense. Naruto shook it off. There. Weird feeling gone. Of course something was off. Sasuke had just been to hell and back. Literally. They all had. Crazy stuff.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked him, lowering his voice.

Sasuke breathed out, and seemed to relax. A smile curled his lips slowly. He raked his fingers through his hair, hiding his face partly behind his arm.

"Yeah," he said softly, "yeah I am. Thanks to you. Thank you. Everything's fine. Everything's… perfect actually."

Naruto smiled back. He wanted to reach out and touch him, his shoulder maybe, or his neck… He just wanted to pull him close. But something held him back. Maybe he should just let him rest, he told himself.

"Yeah," Naruto said, "everything's gonna be fine. You should go back to sleep, okay?"

Sasuke nodded. "Okay. Thank you," he said again.

"You would've done the same for me," Naruto said quietly as he walked away from the bed. He closed the door and let Sasuke rest.

This was for the best. There would be time to hang out later. Right now Naruto wanted to go home and be with Itachi.

…

Hours later, Naruto was starting to feel like the rush was slowly fading. Everything was okay. It was over. In a strange way, it was almost depressing. He didn't want to think that. But he couldn't help it. He just sat alone in his bedroom, curtains draped over the window and hiding the light. He was still wearing the clothes he'd borrowed from Suigetsu. And he wondered what this uneasiness was all about.

He had texted Sasuke but he hadn't texted back yet. He was probably still sleeping.

Something was weird though, wasn't it?

His chest tightened. Suddenly cold, he wrapped his arms around himself, clutching the thin fabric of his t-shirt.

Sasuke hadn't asked him if he was okay. Hadn't asked him what had happened with Temari and… Sai.

Oh, it had been fucking horrible, and Naruto didn't even want to tell him. Ever.

But. Sasuke didn't ask. What if he didn't care?

Still, never mind. Naruto shrugged it off. Sasuke would ask later. He would wake up and remember everything. He just needed to rest, and Naruto needed to leave it alone. He was just being ridiculous and paranoid.

In fact, Naruto needed to get his sleep, too. He craved sleep really badly actually.

So he flicked off the lights and crawled under the duvet and sheets.

_Everything's fine. Everything's… perfect actually._

Even Sasuke said so. Everything would be okay.

…

Sasuke woke up in darkness. He caught the smell of metal and rust, and something else—something that stuck in his lungs and made him feel sick. _Death_, he thought. It smelled like death. He heard the sound of chains rattling. He realized the chains were attached to his wrists and ankles, and they rattled the damp, cold metal floor as he struggled to sit up. His clothes were ripped and dirty. His dark hair was matted and fell in his eyes messily.

It was taking some time for his eyes to adjust. But he thought he heard other people in the darkness. Moans. Whispers.

Sasuke tried to raise his hand to touch the back of his neck. Something was pulsing and throbbing there, and it hurt. A deep cut, maybe? The chain cuffed to his wrist was heavy, but he managed to press his fingers to the back of his neck, just below his hairline. He winced and when he looked at his pale fingers he saw blood.

His eyes were adjusting to the darkness now. He heard footsteps coming closer and he looked up, frightened. Two hooded figures were approaching. There was a line of people chained to the wall. They all looked hurt. In pain. Some of them had really bad burns and wounds.

The two hooded figures stopped right in front of Sasuke. They looked clean and nicely clothed. Their long capes were black velvet. Except for the inside of their hood. That was red. It made their eyes gleam red in the darkness.

"You might want to leave that alone," the first one said in a low, masculine voice. "Until it heals, at least."

Sasuke looked at the blood on his fingers again. Dread spread across his chest like a cold poison pulsing from his heart.

He heard a moan coming from the person chained to the wall right next to him, and he turned his head as he thought that voice sounded familiar.

A young man. Skinny. Beautiful despite the countless wounds covering his body. Tawny hair, long and tangled, clinging to his bloody neck and shoulders.

"Kurama?" Sasuke whispered, a lump forming in his throat.

"Don't worry," the man spoke again, and as Sasuke looked up he saw red eyes glaring at him from beneath the hood. "We've had our fun with him already. He's allowed a little break now. It's your turn, Sasuke. Number 667." He produced a little note pad and pen and scribbled something down. "Oh," he added, motioning to the person standing next to him, "I apologize in advance if my colleague is a little… inexperienced. You see, she just got hired. So I'm showing her the ropes."

She pulled back her hood a little and Sasuke saw a halo of wild, curly blonde hair as she grinned at him.

"Hello, Sasuke," Temari said. "Welcome to Purgatory."

...

Author's note: This is the first part of a two-volume story. This is not the end. I am currently writing the sequel. Let me know if you're interested in reading it. Your opinion really matters to me. Review, yeah?

Let me know what you think of the new summary. I just changed it and would love feedback :-)

...

If you're a fan of my writing:

A little more about this story: I originally wrote this story as fiction. Then I adapted it to fan fiction because I wanted you guys to read it and enjoy it. It was a way for me to get a bit more feedback for my writing. I'm doing this for free and I really value reviews and constructive criticism.

It was more difficult than I thought, though. I had to change all the names and I've let quite a few slip. Thanks to the people that pointed them out to me. I think I went back and fixed everything by now. If not just let me know, lol. I apologize for those mistakes.

It's not even just that, though. I had to change a fair amount of details. Take out some bits that didn't work anymore. Remove some aspects of the characters I originally created. And I'm not saying I regret it, but in the end I realized that the original version is better, in my humble opinion. It's more genuine, at the very least. The characters feel more real. I think I tried too hard to please you guys but that took away what was special about my story.

So I've decided to put the original fiction version of my story out there. I haven't decided where yet but feel free to message me if you're curious about it. I am writing the sequel as fiction also. And it will become increasingly difficult to adapt it as fan fiction because I will go more in-depth with the characters, and with some new characters as well. And I'm very aware of the fact that if there are too many 'OCs' in a fanfic it becomes, well, a shitty fanfic. Not exactly my goal.

So hey, whatever you decide, thanks for reading. Lots of love to every single one of you guys. I'm aware that some of you (most of you?) aren't comfortable with reading anything other than fan fiction. And I respect that. If you really insist, and if you'd really like that, I'll definitely adapt my sequel to fan fiction as well, because hey, why not? If that's what you'd like. If that's what I decide to do, I'll need beta readers to help me with the proofreading for sure.

...

Update (1/9/2015) : I am currently posting the story on the website gayauthors under username LieLocks, story title 'Necromancer Legacy' and the sequel should be uploaded on there as well soon.


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